SINGAPORE, July 26 ― British inventor James Dyson is buying a luxury Singapore house with an indoor waterfall that was marketed for US$32 million (RM131 million), a report said today, weeks after he snapped up the city-state's priciest penthouse.
His electric appliance company, known for its bagless vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and fans, announced this year it was shifting its global headquarters from England to the city-state to be closer to Asian markets.
The company also plans to produce electric cars there, as part of its expansion east after Britain's 2016 decision to leave the EU.
The Brexit-backing billionaire has initiated the purchase of the luxurious bungalow facing the Unesco-listed Botanic Gardens, which was put on the market at S$45 million, the city-state's Straits Times newspaper reported.
The freehold property is over 15,000 square feet (1,400 square metres) and features a spiral staircase, landscaped garden and an infinity pool.
To get government approval to buy such a property, a foreigner must have made “exceptional economic contributions in Singapore”, the paper said.
Official documents seen by AFP showed a “caveat” ― a document to register a purchaser's legal interest in a property ― was lodged with authorities for the bungalow on July 3.
The 72-year-old's company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, Dyson made international headlines when it emerged that he had purchased a 21,000-square-foot “super penthouse” for a reported figure of almost S$74 million.
The biggest and most expensive penthouse in Singapore, it sits on the top three floors of a tower in the business district, and has a private garden, storage for 600 bottles of wine, and a round-the-clock dedicated butler service.
At the time a Dyson spokesman said that given the company's decision to shift its headquarters to Singapore, “of course James Dyson has bought a property there”.
Affluent and developed, Singapore has long attracted wealthy residents from around the world ― a trend that has helped fuel a rise in property prices over the years.
In October, Dyson announced it had picked Singapore for its first electric car plant, sparking criticism from some quarters that the Brexit-supporting tycoon was not investing more at home.
A prototype Dyson electric vehicle is in the works for 2020, followed by a product launch in 2021. The company insists its decision to move headquarters from Britain is not due to Brexit but to be closer to a growing majority of its customers. ― AFP
