The Real Repair Company

What The Real Repair Company does

The Real Repair Company is a South African device-repair specialist headquartered at 212 Buitengracht Street in Cape Town, founded in 2010 and operating with 251-500 employees. The firm repairs Apple, Samsung, and Huawei smartphones plus adjacent device categories including iPads, MacBook/iMac laptops, Apple Watch wearables, and iPods, with service depth that extends beyond commodity screen and battery swaps into charging ports, speakers, microphones, water damage, rear housings, cameras, and mainboard work. Repairs use original parts (including genuine Apple firmware on iOS devices) with optional third-party alternatives, and a stated one-hour turnaround for the most common screen and battery jobs.

The business operates a multi-channel retail model: five physical stores inside high-traffic South African shopping centres (Constantia Village, Gardens Centre, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town; Sandton City in Johannesburg; Cellucity Hemingways in East London), complemented by an online booking system, WhatsApp Business intake, and a WooCommerce-powered website with Payflex buy-now-pay-later, PayPal, and PayFast payment rails. Revenue is generated predominantly through one-time-per-incident repair transactions at price points ranging from R249 for an iPhone battery to R4,999 for an Apple Watch screen, supplemented by sale of pre-owned/refurbished devices under the internal PrO sub-brand (propreowned.com), accessories, and a Business Repairs offering for corporate device fleets. Marketing combines an educational blog ("Real News"), active social media on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, MailChimp newsletters, and event-driven promotional campaigns. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and reports POPIA-compliant handling of customer data collected during battery warranty registration.

Name

The Real Repair Company

Legal name

The Real Repair Company

Website

https://therealrepaircompany.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Real Repair Company is a privately held South African device-repair specialist operating five retail stores in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and East London, repairing Apple, Samsung, and Huawei smartphones plus laptops, tablets, and wearables, and selling certified pre-owned devices under its PrO brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smartphone Repair Services

NAICS

Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Device Repair Services (Phones, Tablets, PCs) (CRACAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile Device Repair & Aftermarket Services (Repair, Parts, Insurance/Warranty) (CRACALAI), Refurbished, Used & Recommerce Smartphones (CRACALAG)

Keywords

• Smartphone repair services
• Device repair specialists
• Pre-owned smartphones
• Battery replacement services
• Screen repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Device Repair Services: Primary revenue stream from screen replacements, battery replacements, and other device repairs for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and wearables. Revenue is one-time per repair transaction.
2. Pre-Owned Device Sales: Sale of pre-owned/refurbished devices through PrO range brand, including iPhones and other smartphones at reduced prices compared to new devices.
3. Accessories: Sale of phone accessories including cases, screen protectors, and other device peripherals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Real Repair Company repairs Apple, Samsung, and Huawei smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables, and iPods, specializing in screen and battery replacements with a one-hour turnaround. The company also sells certified pre-owned devices under its PrO sub-brand and offers accessories, operating a multi-store retail network across South Africa with online booking and WhatsApp support.

Product overview

The Real Repair Company is a South African device repair specialist offering screen replacement, battery replacement, and comprehensive repair services for smartphones (iPhone, Samsung, Huawei), tablets (iPad), laptops (MacBook, iMac), wearables (Apple Watch), and iPods. The company operates multiple retail locations and provides a one-hour repair turnaround commitment. Their core product portfolio includes branded repair services (iPhone Screen/Battery Replacement, Samsung Screen/Battery Replacement, Huawei Screen/Battery Replacement, Apple Watch Screen/Battery Replacement) supplemented by their PrO Pre-Owned Devices sub-brand for certified pre-owned devices. Additional services include Payflex payment plans for flexible payments, business repair programs, and data migration assistance. The company differentiates through the use of original parts with a 'Real Price Promise' and eco-friendly e-waste recycling partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PrO: PrO range of Pre-Owned devices - Pristine and Premium Pre-Owned mobile devices sold through propreowned.com

Products and services

• iPhone Screen Replacement Screen repair and replacement service for iPhone devices, using original or third-party parts with pricing starting from R289. Targets individual iPhone owners with cracked or damaged displays.
• iPhone Battery Replacement Battery replacement service for iPhone devices, starting from R249. Aimed at consumers with degraded or non-functioning iPhone batteries.
• Samsung Screen Replacement Screen repair and replacement service for Samsung devices using original Samsung parts, starting from R1,549. For Samsung phone owners with cracked displays.
• Samsung Battery Replacement Battery replacement service for Samsung devices, starting from R749. For Samsung phone owners with failing batteries.
• Huawei Screen Replacement Screen repair and replacement service for Huawei devices, starting from R649. For Huawei phone owners with damaged displays.
• Huawei Battery Replacement Battery replacement service for Huawei devices, starting from R439. For Huawei phone owners with degraded batteries.
• Apple Watch Screen Replacement Cracked screen repair and replacement service for Apple Watch models (1st Gen through 7th Gen) in 38mm, 40mm, 42mm, and 44mm sizes, using third-party parts. Pricing from R2,349 to R4,999 depending on model.
• Apple Watch Battery Replacement Battery replacement service for Apple Watch models (1st Gen through 7th Gen), with pricing from R690 to R999 depending on model and generation.
• MacBook and iMac Repair Repair service for MacBook and iMac devices, covering a range of laptop and desktop hardware issues.
• iPod Repair Repair service for iPod devices, covering screen, battery, and other hardware issues.
• Charging Port Repair Repair and replacement service for faulty charging ports across Apple, Samsung, and Huawei devices.
• Speaker and Microphone Repair Repair and replacement service for faulty speakers and microphones on supported devices.
• Liquid Damage Repair Professional liquid damage assessment and repair service with a 30-day warranty, covering devices affected by water or other liquids.
• Rear Housing Replacement Replacement service for cracked, dented, or damaged phone rear housings.
• Camera Module Repair Repair and replacement service for faulty camera modules on supported smartphones.
• Device Diagnostic and Assessment Service Professional diagnostic service to identify issues with Apple, Samsung, and Huawei devices, covering broken audio jacks, cracked screens, flat batteries, faulty microphones, damaged casing, damaged ports, broken speakers, OS failures, liquid damage, faulty SIM readers, broken power buttons, and faulty vibration functions.
• PrO Pre-Owned Devices Range of certified pre-owned smartphones (including iPhone 8 64GB from R4,999, iPhone 11 128GB from R9,699, iPhone 11 Pro 64GB from R11,799, iPhone 11 Pro 256GB from R12,499) sourced from network and manufacturer authorized exchange programs. Sold via propreowned.com partner website.
• Business Repairs Device repair services tailored for business clients, covering bulk device repairs and maintenance programs for employee or corporate device fleets.
• Data Migration Service Assistance with migrating data from old phones to new devices, including transferring photos and contacts across multiple devices, supporting device upgrade and lifecycle transitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-hour repair time for most screen and battery replacements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PayflexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Real Repair Company has partnered with Payflex to bring customers flexible payment options. Customers can pay for device repairs in 4 equal interest-free instalments over 6 weeks. The partnership helps reduce financial barriers to repairs by offering buy-now-pay-later functionality.
• CellucitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCellucity serves as a retail partner for pre-owned devices. Devices are sourced from network and manufacturer authorised exchange programs and thoroughly assessed. Cellucity locations also serve as store partners for The Real Repair Company services.
• PrO (Pre-Owned)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrO is the company's own pre-owned device brand. When devices cannot be repaired or customers need to upgrade, PrO offers certified pre-owned alternatives. This internal brand extension provides end-to-end device lifecycle management.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• uBreakiFix (Asurion): Global multi-brand device repair franchise owned by Asurion, with broad geographic coverage. Comparable because it operates the same walk-in smartphone repair playbook at scale; relevant for benchmarking unit economics and expansion models.
• Geek Squad (Best Buy): Best Buy's device repair and support arm covering smartphones, laptops, and wearables. Comparable as a broad incumbent repair service model offering warranties, in-store service, and multi-device coverage.
• iStore South Africa: Apple Premium Reseller and authorised service provider in South Africa. Comparable as a higher-end, brand-authorised alternative for Apple device repairs and trade-ins, competing for the same Cape Town/Johannesburg premium consumer.
• MTN Service Centres: MTN's carrier-affiliated repair and device-care centres across South Africa. Comparable as a parallel authorised-channel competitor for smartphone repairs and pre-owned trade-ins.
• Vodacom Service Centres: Carrier-owned service centres in South Africa offering device repairs and trade-ins for network-locked customers. Comparable because they absorb in-warranty and walk-in repair demand from the same consumer base The Real Repair Company targets.

Direct peers

• iSmash: Specialist smartphone and tablet repair chain originally UK-based, with same-day in-store repairs for Apple and Samsung devices. Comparable in store-based service model, brand focus, and speed-led customer proposition.
• Dr. Phone Repair (South Africa): Independent South African smartphone repair specialist offering screen and battery replacements for major brands. Comparable as a domestic walk-in competitor targeting the same consumer repair occasions.
• WeFix (South Africa): South African on-demand and walk-in smartphone repair specialist focusing on Apple and Samsung. Comparable as a direct competitor for screen, battery, and micro-soldering repairs in the same geographies.
• The Fix (South Africa): South African multi-brand smartphone and tablet repair chain with multiple walk-in locations. Directly comparable in product offering (screen/battery replacements for Apple, Samsung, Huawei), walk-in retail model, and South African footprint.
• Cellucity: South African mobile retailer that also offers repairs and serves as The Real Repair Company's retail partner. Comparable because it sells pre-owned devices sourced from carrier exchange programs and runs in-store device repair, overlapping the same use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/therealrepairco
• Facebookfacebook.com/therealrepairco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/therealrepairco
• Instagraminstagram.com/therealrepairco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Real Repair Company