UBreakiFix explained

Founded: in Orlando, Florida
Area Served:North America
Parent:Asurion, LLC
Type:Subsidiary

uBreakiFix is an American chain of electronic repair shops, founded in 2009 with over 832 locations in 2016 across the United States and the Caribbean.[1] [2] [3] They are most commonly known for repairing all kinds of household electronics.[4] In August 2019, uBreakiFix was acquired by Asurion, LLC, an insurance company.[5] Its Canadian division was sold to Mobile Klinik in January 2023, and all franchises there were rebranded.

History

uBreakiFix was established in Orlando, Florida as a single shop.[6] [7] It then quickly expanded by offering franchise opportunities.[8] [9] Their business model centers around servicing equipment such as smartphones, game consoles, tablets, and computers. In 2016, Google made them the only authorized walk-in repair provider for the Pixel and Pixel XL, providing the company with OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts for replacements.[10] Industry reports speculated that this choice was made in order for Google to compete with the Apple Genius Bar, which offers in-person iPhone repairs.[11] [12] [13] [14] Samsung formed a similar partnership with uBreakiFix in 2018, naming them as an authorized in-warranty Samsung repair center and providing stores with access to OEM components.[15]

The uBreakiFix franchise was listed eighteenth on Entrepreneur's 2018 Franchise 500 list.[16] [17] The company was also mentioned in the Orlando Business Journal as one of 2019's “Fast 50,” a list of the top 50 fastest growing private companies in Orlando. Growth for this list is measured by marking percentage growth over a two-year time frame, and companies must show consistent growth over a three-year period.[18] [19]

Rebranding

Asurion announced that uBreakiFix will be rebranding as Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions, but has since retracted the plan. The company reverted to using uBreakiFix by Asurion for all locations by 2024.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Day In The Life Of A Franchisee: Drew Lessaris of uBreakiFix. Karsten. Strauss. Forbes.
  2. Web site: Tech repair brand uBreakiFix doubling Canadian presence. BNN Bloomberg Canada.
  3. Web site: uBreakiFix Hits Major Growth Milestone with 500 Stores Sold. finance.yahoo.com.
  4. Web site: How A 21-Year-Old Took UBreakiFix From His Bedroom To 262 Stores And A Deal With Google. Susan. Adams. Forbes.
  5. News: Asurion buys national repair chain. August 26, 2019. Nashville Business Journal. 21 October 2020.
  6. Web site: These Inc. 500 CEOs Prove That Not All Entrepreneurs Work Alone. Jennifer. Alsever. Inc..
  7. Web site: Justin Wetherill. Dean. Caravalis. Outrageously Remarkable. 31 July 2018 .
  8. Web site: uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill: from UCF College of Business to Successful Tech Entrepreneur. UCF. 8 June 2018 .
  9. Web site: Tech retailer pursues 'broken' opportunity with more stores. March 14, 2016. Chain Store Age.
  10. Web site: Google plans to offer walk-in repairs for its new Pixel phone. Digital. Trends. Business Insider.
  11. Web site: uBreakiFix Becomes Exclusive Walk-In Repair Partner Across US and Canada for Recently Launched Google Pixel Phones. finance.yahoo.com.
  12. Web site: Google and uBreakiFix partner up to offer same-day Pixel repairs in US and Canada. Alexandra. Arici. October 24, 2016.
  13. Web site: uBreakiFix partners with Google for same-day Pixel screen repairs. Jules. Wang. October 21, 2016. PocketNow.
  14. Web site: uBreakiFix Will Unsurprisingly Provide The Fastest Pixel 3a Fixes. Daniel. Golightly. Android Headlines. 8 May 2019 .
  15. News: How to Make Your Smartphone Last Longer. Eric. Ravenscraft. The New York Times. September 16, 2019. January 16, 2020.
  16. Web site: uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill speaks about his Orlando-based business. Orlando Sentinel.
  17. Web site: 2018 Franchise 500 Ranking. Entrepreneur.
  18. Web site: Inc 5000 Profile: uBreakiFix. Inc..
  19. Web site: Orlando's uBreakiFix gets $20M Business Loan. Matthew. Richardson. January 12, 2018.
  20. Web site: All Your Technology Repaired By Pros Asurion Tech Repair . 2022-12-20 . Asurion . en-us.