UBreakiFix
{{Short description|American electronics repair franchise}}
{{Infobox company
| founded = {{start date and age|2009}} 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 920 locations in 2016 across the United States and the Caribbean.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2019/06/07/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-franchisee-ubreakifixs-drew-lessaris/|title=A Day In The Life Of A Franchisee: Drew Lessaris of uBreakiFix|first=Karsten|last=Strauss|website=Forbes}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/tech-repair-brand-ubreakifix-doubling-canadian-presence~940743|title=Tech repair brand uBreakiFix doubling Canadian presence|website=BNN Bloomberg Canada}}{{Cite web|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubreakifix-hits-major-growth-milestone-151200896.html|title=uBreakiFix Hits Major Growth Milestone with 500 Stores Sold|website=finance.yahoo.com}} They are most commonly known for repairing all kinds of electronics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestreptalks/2016/11/28/how-a-21-year-old-took-ubreakifix-from-his-bedroom-to-262-stores-and-a-deal-with-google/#202a11b8123b/|title=How A 21-Year-Old Took UBreakiFix From His Bedroom To 262 Stores And A Deal With Google|first=Susan|last=Adams|website=Forbes}} In August 2019, uBreakiFix was acquired by Asurion, LLC, an insurance company.{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2019/08/26/exclusive-asurion-buys-national-repair-chain.html|title=Asurion buys national repair chain|date=August 26, 2019|work=Nashville Business Journal|accessdate=21 October 2020}} Its Canadian division was sold to Mobile Klinik in January 2023, and all franchises were rebranded.
History
File:UBREAKIFIX, Spring Mall Square.jpg]]
uBreakiFix was established in Orlando, Florida as a single shop.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jennifer-alsever/not-all-entrepreneurs-work-alone.html|title=These Inc. 500 CEOs Prove That Not All Entrepreneurs Work Alone|first=Jennifer|last=Alsever|website=Inc.}}{{Cite web|url=https://deancaravelis.com/justin-wetherill/|title=Justin Wetherill|first=Dean|last=Caravalis|website=Outrageously Remarkable|date=31 July 2018 }} It then quickly expanded by offering franchise opportunities.{{Cite web|url=https://business.ucf.edu/ubreakifix-ceo-justin-wetherill-ucf-college-business-successful-tech-entrepreneur/|title=uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill: from UCF College of Business to Successful Tech Entrepreneur|website=UCF|date=8 June 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.chainstoreage.com/real-estate/tech-retailer-pursues-broken-opportunity-more-stores/|title=Tech retailer pursues 'broken' opportunity with more stores|date=March 14, 2016|website=Chain Store Age}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ubreakifix-offer-in-store-repairs-for-pixel-2016-10|title=Google plans to offer walk-in repairs for its new Pixel phone|first=Digital|last=Trends|website=Business Insider}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubreakifix-becomes-exclusive-walk-repair-182438338.html|title=uBreakiFix Becomes Exclusive Walk-In Repair Partner Across US and Canada for Recently Launched Google Pixel Phones|website=finance.yahoo.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidguys.com/news/google-and-ubreakfix-partner-up-to-offer-same-day-pixel-repairs-in-us-and-canada/|title=Google and uBreakiFix partner up to offer same-day Pixel repairs in US and Canada|first=Alexandra|last=Arici|date=October 24, 2016}}{{Cite web|url=https://pocketnow.com/ubreakifix-partners-with-google-for-same-day-pixel-screen-repairs|title=uBreakiFix partners with Google for same-day Pixel screen repairs|first=Jules|last=Wang|date=October 21, 2016|website=PocketNow}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidheadlines.com/2019/05/google-pixel-3a-xl-fast-repairs-ubreakifix.html|title=uBreakiFix Will Unsurprisingly Provide The Fastest Pixel 3a Fixes|first=Daniel|last=Golightly|website=Android Headlines|date=8 May 2019 }} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/smarter-living/how-to-make-your-phone-last-longer.html|title=How to Make Your Smartphone Last Longer|first=Eric|last=Ravenscraft|work=The New York Times|date=September 16, 2019|access-date=January 16, 2020}}
The uBreakiFix franchise was listed eighteenth on Entrepreneur's 2018 Franchise 500 list.
{{Cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/91927086-132,standalone.html|title=uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill speaks about his Orlando-based business|website=Orlando Sentinel}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/500/2018|title=2018 Franchise 500 Ranking|website=Entrepreneur}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/profile/ubreakifix|title=Inc 5000 Profile: uBreakiFix|website=Inc.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2018/01/12/orlandos-ubreakifix-gets-20m-biz-loan-plans-to.html|title=Orlando's uBreakiFix gets $20M Business Loan|first=Matthew|last=Richardson|date=January 12, 2018}}
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.{{Cite web |title=All Your Technology Repaired By Pros {{!}} Asurion Tech Repair |url=https://www.asurion.com/rebrand/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Asurion |language=en-us}}
References
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Category:American companies established in 2009