Dyson has shelved plans for a £100 million technical and research centre in Bristol, opting instead to consolidate its southwest operations at its flagship Malmesbury campus in Wiltshire.
The move will see the relocation of 180 staff – previously earmarked for Bristol’s 1 Georges Square – to the company’s main site, which also houses the Dyson Institute and its engineering degree programme.
The British technology firm, best known for its vacuum cleaners and hairdryers, had originally announced the Bristol hub in 2023. However, Bill Wright, Dyson’s UK HR director, said bringing teams under one roof would support the company’s collaborative approach to research and innovation. “As the pace of innovation and development accelerates, we increasingly see the benefits that would come from having teams all located together in one physical location,” Wright explained.
While it has already invested significantly in refurbishing the Bristol site, Dyson confirmed that 1 Georges Square will now be put on the market for lease. The company says it will help staff commute by introducing a coach service and offering free electric car charging points to soften the impact of the move.
This latest development follows Dyson’s global review, which last year triggered an announcement to cut up to a third of its UK workforce. The decision also comes against a backdrop of founder Sir James Dyson’s outspoken criticisms of the UK’s economic policies – especially Labour’s recent tax proposals and higher national insurance costs. In a letter to the Telegraph, he wrote: “Why would anyone start a company in the UK? The hit delivered by Labour to business, and the destruction of British family-owned businesses especially, is an egregious act of self-harm.”
Though the company stresses that the site closure in Bristol is a business decision rather than a political statement, it underscores a continuing consolidation strategy in Dyson’s global operations. Now headquartered in Singapore, Dyson appears intent on centring its core innovation activities back where it all began: on the historic Malmesbury campus in rural Wiltshire.