Tech repair store marks 20 years with record figures

An Edinburgh-based gadget repair specialist is eyeing further expansion after celebrating two decades in business with its best-ever sales.

SimplyFixIt began life in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield in 1996. Picture: Contributed

SimplyFixIt, which began life as Ideal Computing in 1996 selling PCs, now has six outlets across Edinburgh – along with sites in Dalkeith and Glasgow – employing a total of 34 people.

The firm has racked up record annual sales of £4.2 million, helped by demand from users of Apple products such as iPhones and iPads.

General manager Jason Eccles said: “The Apple effect has been profound. In the past year we carried out over 25,000 repairs and 30 per cent of those were on Apple computers, including the MacBook and the iMac.

“Microsoft Windows-based PCs and laptops still account for over 50 per cent of our repairs, but the gap is definitely narrowing.”

He added: “We have changed a great deal over those 20 years, which is to be expected because the nature of technology is changing all the time.

“When we started out selling PCs in 1996, who could have predicted that within two decades we’d all have incredibly powerful computers in our pockets that are constantly connected to the internet? It’s an amazing time to be working in this sector.”

Amid “buoyant” conditions for the industry, Eccles said that SimplyFixIt was on course for further growth.

“We are constantly looking for new sites and look at two or three possibilities per month. All I can say at the moment is watch this space.”