Dyson Ltd: From Vacuum Cleaners to Electric Vehicles

The case provides a strategic overview of one of the UK’s fastest-growing household goods companies, Dyson Ltd. Starting out in the early 1990s as sole vendor of bagless vacuum cleaners in the UK market, Dyson would ultimately become the market leader before its competitors finally woke up. The case tracks founder James Dyson’s global ambitions over an 18-year period until his entry into the electric vehicle market, and a move of corporate headquarters to Singapore (2019), with Asia now accounting for the majority of revenues. It offers insights into the multi-faceted vision of the founder, who combines inventiveness and a love of engineering and design with a rigid respect for lawful business practice.

The case offers a broad tableau to deliver courses on a wide range of topics, strategy and management, family business, supply chains, entrepreneurship and international business. With an easy-to-read style to facilitate classroom discussion (Masters in Management, MBA and executive education), supporting materials include video clips of interviews with the first CEO of Dyson France.