The high street is very much alive and kicking, prompting Stormfront, the Apple Premium Reseller, to rebrand as Select and target the shoppers back out on the pavements.

The leading technology sales and repair service provider for the consumer retail, business, and education sectors in the UK, is looking to take advantage of footfall back in towns and cities.

The move comes as data from the Centre for Cities’ high streets recovery tracker revealed 13 UK cities and towns had returned to pre-pandemic levels of spending by the end of January 2022.

The statistics reinforce that the future of retail is not online vs. offline, but one that offers a seamless experience to customers wherever they chose to shop. This is imperative for businesses to develop and thrive.

The move by Select will bring the company’s 23 Stormfront stores across the UK and 6 Compu b stores in Ireland under the same brand identity, delivering an elevated experience and providing a complete Apple solution for consumer retail, business and education customers locally.

Central to Select’s enhanced offering will be the Discovery Hubs service, which is now available to all customers in its local stores.

Select’s Discovery Hubs are a one-stop service for business customers and educational institution customers. 

A dedicated slot or slots can be booked for groups of employees at a Discovery Hub with a Select expert who can provide full onboarding, troubleshooting, technical and training support to help them get the most out of their Apple products.

The service will be of particular benefit for businesses with hybrid working models as employees increasingly require local technology support regularly, whereby any current or future Select customer will be able to book a fixed and allocated Discovery Hub time slot free of charge – the same time weekly, every week in the year for their teams. 

“We have invested over £2.5 million in delivering our in-store Discovery Hubs service," said Ciaran McCormack, Managing Director.

"Select is a trusted partner for all our customers, giving them peace of mind that they are in the hands of Apple Experts and importantly providing this expertise locally.

"We have made investments in areas across our business that will offer customers valuable resources and experiences no matter how they chose to engage with us.” 

“Group sales this year will be over £120+ million as we continue to invest in providing market differentiating services for our customers across our portfolio of offerings, keeping easy, local access to expertise for our customers at the core of our mission and creating an omni-channel strategy fit for purpose in the modern day to help retail bounce back on the high streets across the UK, while offering the very best experience online that’s possible, is our priority.”

Select has also invested nearly £1M in its online offering with the launch of its new website - selectonline.com - ensuring that customers in the UK and Ireland have access to technical support and training as well as retail support and repair services at any time.

The company employs over 330 highly trained Apple experts across the UK and Ireland, supporting over four million customers per year and managing over 120,000 repairs annually across its customer base.

Select is a trusted Apple supplier to financial institutions, third-level institutions, airline groups, healthcare companies, semi-state bodies, the public sector, technology companies and FMCG organisations, supporting businesses of all sizes and sectors, from start-ups to enterprise companies.

As an Apple Premium Reseller, Select also provides both instore and online access to the full suite of Apple products and accessories, including iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and Beats, along with other leading premium brands such as Native Union, Therabody, Sony, Urbanista, Joby, Eufy, Incipo, and Click & Grow.

In tandem with offering unrivalled access to Apple products and experts, Select is also committed to challenging itself to make it as easy as possible for customers to recycle old devices, to contribute to a greener future.

The Waste Electrical or Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive recently revealed that Electrical goods are the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, growing by 5% each year.

The scheme applies to all electronic equipment, not just Apple products or those purchased through the Select website or in store where they can use its online valuation calculator to receive an estimated trade‑in value. Quality checks take place in-store and then customers can instantly receive in-store credit towards a new device or a Select gift card.

In the UK, Select has a retail presence in the following regions: Bury St Edmunds, Canterbury, Carlisle, Carmarthen, Dundee, Durham, Epsom, Huddersfield, Inverness, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Maidstone, Newbury, Romford, Salisbury, Selfridges (London), Stirling, Sutton Coldfield, Telford, Truro, Wimbledon, Windsor, York.