David Hirsch, the former Incredible Connection executive director who last year launched a new retail venture specialising in refurbished technology, TechMarkit, has opened the company’s first retail store.
The store, in the Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg, will focus on selling refurbished Windows PCs (desktops and laptops) and Android phones, among other devices – a growing market segment given the economic pressures South African consumers are facing.
Until now, TechMarkit has been online only.
Hirsch, who has retail in his blood, started his working career at Software Connection – the company that was once listed on the JSE and which would go on to become Incredible Connection. He established a buying office for Software Connection in New York in the 1990s and served as merchandising director for Incredible Connection, among other roles.
After Incredibly Connection was acquired by JSE-listed JD Group, he headed up marketing and merchandising for JD.
He said in an interview with TechCentral in December 2021 that he hoped TechMarkit would bring credibility to the used/refurbished technology market in South Africa.
The company checks all the products it sells for defects and other problems – including the condition of batteries – and also cleans the devices thoroughly before making them available for sale.
Hirsch said in a statement about the opening of the company’s first physical store in Rosebank that he hopes to help improve the low penetration of PCs in South African households.
“Our people may have mobile phones, but laptops and PCs remain unattainable for most. Brand new laptops are prohibitively expensive for most people, and yet they are essential tools for school, higher education, work and life in general. I would like to play a part in changing this, in making technology accessible to everyone.”
The company also accepts technology trade-ins from consumers and has promised to offer a “fair price” for these goods than benefit both the seller and TechMarkit.
“Your laptop is first diagnosed, then refurbished and finally priced – very competitively. What’s more, the technology comes with a six-month to one-year warranty — covering all the same things that manufacturers’ warranties would normally cover,” Hirsch said. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media