Chinese drone maker DJI is about to open its first “authorised retailer” outlet in Washington state, US.
At the Marketplace @ Factoria mall in Bellevue, the store will let people try out DJI’s personal and professional drones. At the grand opening on Saturday, the festivities will include demonstrations of its Mavic and Phantom drone series as well as the Osmo stabilisation gimbal range.
However, as DJI has noted in its opening announcement, drone flights are not allowed outside the mall, and recreational users are not allowed to fly drones within 25 ft (7.6 m) of another person. Also, city rules do not permit the use of unmanned aircraft in Bellevue parks.
DJI’s products are already available in the state through various retailers including Apple Stores, Best Buy locations and camera outlets. While there are other DJI authorised retailers in the US, they differ from the company stores in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Seoul. Its new Washington outlet is owned and run by Yita, one of its North American dealers.
Based in Shenzhen, DJI employs more than 3000 people. It has offices Beijing, Frankfurt, Korea and Tokyo, with its US headquarters in Los Angeles.