Cell phones are a daily necessity that the populace cannot live without and even with the ongoing coronavirus concerns, people will make an exception with leaving their homes when it comes to repairing their cell phones. As a result, cell phone repair stores still have plenty of guaranteed foot traffic. Although there are many mom-and-pop stores that provide these same services, such as replacing cracked screens or saving data from water-damaged devices, skittish shoppers who do not venture out a lot will prefer tried and true national chain brands for their cell phone repair needs. National brands such as uBreakiFix, CPR Cell Phone Repair, Batteries Plus Bulbs and franchise newcomer Quick Mobile Repair are all expected to expand their brick-and-mortar presence in the coming years.
uBreakiFix expects to open about 50 to 75 new units per year over the next two to three years, with a focus on New York, Illinois, Southern California and New Jersey. The brand seeks inline, end cap or street-facing outparcel units in the 700 to 1,500 s.f. range in strip malls, lifestyle centers, regional power plazas and street fronts with high traffic. Preferred co-tenants include cell phone carrier brands, such as T-Mobile or AT&T, as well as Target, Sports Clips, Starbucks, Chipotle and health-centered brands, such as Orangetheory Fitness. Preferred demographics are an average household income of $60K per year within a five-mile radius and a 100,000 daytime population count.
The uBreakiFix franchise extended its partnership with Google to provide authorized repair services for the Pixel 4a smartphone, which debuted in August. The brand has benefited from its acquisition last year by Asurion, an electronics warranty company, and the chain has been rolling out a transport-servicing aspect of uBreakiFix, in which up to 600 vans nationwide can perform repair services at a customer’s residence. The retailer is also riding high after earning the 21st spot in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2020 top franchise list. uBreakiFix provides repairs not just to iPhones and Samsung devices, but also PCs, Macs and tablets.
CPR Cell Phone Repair is on a fast track of national expansion and expects to open approximately 50 new units per year over the next three years. The franchise has already opened 40 new stores this year alone in all markets, with Georgia, Texas, Nevada, Alabama and Ohio seeing the majority of the growth. Expect more expansion within all of these states, as well as in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Mississippi, Florida, Oklahoma, New York, Texas, Colorado, California and Oregon. CPR Cell Phone Repair looks for space between 1,000 and 1,400 s.f. in small to mid-sized markets. Freestanding buildings, lifestyle centers, power centers, regional malls, and regional and neighborhood strip mall spaces will be targeted. Favored co-tenants include AT&T, T-Mobile, Starbucks and Five Guys. The franchise, financially comfortable after its acquisition by the Assurant insurance company last year, is also open to expanding its footprint through acquiring smaller cell phone repair chains, as it did in 2018 when the brand acquired both Digital Docs’ 37 U.S. locations, as well as Genius’ 18 U.S. stores.
Batteries Plus Bulbs expects to open approximately 35 new units per year until 2022, when the brand hopes to sign on even more franchise units for further growth. Territories with immediate expansion plans as a result of franchise deals include Sacramento, Calif., Austin, Houston and Dallas, Texas, Boise, Idaho, as well as Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. The brand seeks space between 1,200 and 1,800 s.f. in destination-driven retail shopping areas, either in strip malls or power centers with big-box co-tenants such as Walmart or Costco. Space can be either a pad strip center, freestanding or dual-use building in middle to upper middle household income areas with a 75,000+ population in the trade area. Sites should be at a stop light intersection. In addition to its huge in-store/back warehouse assortment of all types of light bulbs and batteries, the stores have benefitted from providing cracked screen repairs and battery replacements on cell phones and tablets. The coronavirus and social unrest scares have boosted the store’s battery and light bulb sales, as customers look to stock up on essentials in turbulent times.
The still growing Quick Mobile Repair, which has five locations in Arizona, just expanded into the state of Utah in October. After hiring a new chief development officer this year, the retailer looks to expand with about five to eight new units per year over the next two years. The franchise hopes to expand into the South, as well as into Nevada, Idaho and potentially Oregon. Quick Mobile Repair seeks approximately 1,500 s.f. of space, either within inline or end cap locations, in neighborhood strip malls or standalone building outparcels with multiple tenants. Sites preferably near intersections on busy retail streets with an average household income at approximately $70K within one mile will be targeted.
Preferred co-tenants include Verizon, T-Mobile and Starbucks, as well as services such as Kumon learning centers, medical services, including cannabis dispensaries, dry cleaning and nail salons. Quick Mobile Repair differentiates itself by promising to repair cell phones within 15 to 20 minutes, and by offering a one-year warranty on repairs.
