Two local entrepreneurs have brought a nationwide chain of electronic repair shops to Milton, with plans to expand throughout the Halton region.
The chain, called uBreakiFix, has more than 600 locations across North America, and it boasts of completing over 10 million repairs. The Milton location is a project of Halton region natives Praneeth Maddineni, Bruce Coles and Arjun Rajakumar.
Coles said that he came to the chain first as a customer, and he was so impressed he wanted to start his own location. The location offers common repairs, such as fixing cracked phone screens and resolving software issues on mobile devices, but also offers more technical fixes and treatments for diverse items like game consoles, drones and hoverboards.
Opening a new store while social distancing restrictions are in effect presents challenges, but the Milton location of uBreakiFix has gotten started by offering curbside service and mail-in repair. The popularity of consumer electronics like smartphones and tablets, as well as the relatively low cost of entries, have made electronic repairs stores and booths a common sight in malls and other shopping areas, often using tools like poster printing and signage to draw attention.
The rapid growth of uBreakiFix, which was founded in 2009 as an Internet-based business and only started franchising in 2013, is an example of the industry’s dynamism.
The new uBreakiFix is now open inside the Milton Crossroads Shopping Centre. The owners have plans to open five more locations in the area, beginning with Oakville.
