- Sky purchases minority stake in iSmash
- Investment to fund expansion into ten new cities across the UK in 2020.
DATE, London – Leading tech repairs specialist iSmash today announces it has secured new investment from Sky to drive its nationwide expansion. The deal sees the media and telecommunications conglomerate purchase a minority stake in the fast-growing business.
Founded in 2013 by entrepreneur Julian Shovlin, iSmash specialises in express repairs of smartphones, tablets, computers – now boasting 27 stores across the UK, in locations including London, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield , Bristol and Brighton
The investment will be used to help drive iSmash’s nationwide expansion, with stores in 10 new cities across the UK planned for 2020 – allowing more customers than ever to benefit from iSmash’s professional express tech repair service. The investment will also be used to enhance the existing business and build iSmash’s brand over the coming years.
Julian Shovlin, Founder & Managing Director, said: “We’re incredibly pleased with this new investment as it lays the groundwork for an exciting ongoing partnership with Sky. We believe that both sides will benefit tremendously, as the investment can be used to both expand and improve the quality of services already provided by iSmash, whilst Sky gains a strategic partner in the mobile space.”
Sky’s investment follows the launch of Sky Mobile in 2017, which is currently the UK’s fastest-growing network. With over one million subscribers, Sky hopes the investment will increase collaboration in the mobile space, with consumers at the forefront.
About iSmash:
Launched in 2013 by entrepreneur Julian Shovlin, iSmash is the UK’s leading high street tech repair specialist, experts in the express repair of smartphones, tablets and computers. Born to fulfil the gap in the market for a trusted device repair solution across the UK, iSmash has quickly expanded to 27 high street, train station and shopping centre locations across the UK – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Brighton, Sheffield and Bristol. With plans to further expand nationwide throughout 2020 and beyond, iSmash is on a mission to provide a trusted and convenient solution to the nation’s device repair problem. With almost 1 million customers to date, iSmash has established itself as the leader in the tech repair market in the UK.
About Sky
With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 31,000 employees help connect our customers with the very best of Sports, News, the arts and to our own local, original content. Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, Patrick Melrose, Das Boot and Gomorrah we launched Sky Studios and now plan to more than double our investment in original drama and comedy over the next five years.
Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, it is our responsibility to do it safely – that’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.
We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. Our Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has reached millions across Europe, we’re on track to be free of single-use plastic by 2020, we’re investing £25million over five years in ocean-saving tech and we’re a proud employer – recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our approach to inclusivity.