A MINIATURE version of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, modified to clean Japanese tatami mats, helped to boost the company’s full-year profits by 32 per cent after it proved a hit with Japanese housewives.

Demand for the DC12 cleaner, which contains a digital motor and weighs just 4kg (8.8lb), lifted Japanese sales of Dyson vacuum cleaners by 177 per cent in the year to December 31 to more than 9.6 billion yen.

James Dyson, who invented the original bagless cleaner, said yesterday that the machine had succeeded in Japan because of its size, weight and performance. “It seemed as though we were taking coals to Newcastle when we first entered Japan’s crowded vacuum cleaner market,” he said.

Mr Dyson said that in a country where space was at a premium, the DC12 was convenient and catered for the Japanese love of technology. The cleaner measures just 35cm by 25cm by 20cm and has a wrap-around hose to make it more compact. The company said that, despite its size, the motor, which spins at 1,666 revolutions per second — five times faster than a Formula One racing car engine — provides the same power and performance as a full-sized Dyson.

The DC12, which was launched two years ago in Japan, is now the top-selling vacuum cleaner in Tokyo and is sold in 2,200 outlets across the country.

Dyson, which last year overtook Hoover to become the market leader in America, yesterday also revealed that it has increased its spending on research and development by 28 per cent over the year to £50 million and plans to retain £83 million of its profits for future investment in the Wiltshire-based business, from £54 million last year.

The company said that it was planning further “innovative products” for launch this year, along the lines of robotics and electric motors, but refused to divulge further details. Its most recent launch, in March last year, was the Ball, a vacuum cleaner designed to allow the user to manoeuvre around corners.

Yesterday Dyson reported pre-tax profits of £103 million for the year to December 31, from £78 million last time, on turnover up 18 per cent to £470 million. It also recorded a 44 per cent increase in its export sales.

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