A manufacturer of drones and camera equipment has announced plans to open its first European store in Birmingham city centre this weekend.
Chinese business DJI has signed a five-year lease on 2,800 sq ft of space at the corner of New Street and Corporation Street which has been empty for nearly four years since mobile phone retailer Vodafone closed its store in late 2019.
It will occupy the ground and basement floors of the six-storey building along with its Swedish camera brand Hasselblad which it bought out in 2017.
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The shop will sell DJI drones, gimbals and accessories and Hasselblad's digital cameras and lenses. It launches on Saturday and will create at least six new jobs.
The new Birmingham shop will be the only combined DJI | Hasselblad experience store outside of its Asian heartland.
DJI director Majid Shah said: "Birmingham is a young and vibrant city with major brands that attract a high footfall but it also offers more cost-effective rent than comparable units in London.
"We are hopeful that the new store will perform well and have plans to explore other openings in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ in the near future."
Oliver Marshall, a director with property consultancy FHP which brokered the deal for DJI, added: "We're thrilled to bring two huge global brands to Birmingham city centre.
"Its location nearby several established national occupiers provides DJI | Hasselblad with an ideal base from which to grow its º£½ÇÊÓƵ presence."
Property agency Johnson Fellows acted on behalf of landlord Birmingham City Council in the deal.
