Regional resellers: Gladstone

Donna Barletta, Leading Edge Electronics and Computers Gladstone

We purchased our first electronics store in Innisfail in 1990. In 1996, we sold that business to purchase another electronics store in Gladstone, which sold Jaycar electronics and home theatre products, renaming it Gladstone Hi-Fi.

We then introduced the Dick Smith Electronics range within the first week of taking over. We quickly outgrew our 76sqm store, and in the year 2000, we purchased our own premises and moved into a new 160sqm showroom.

In 2004, we became a foundation member stockist of Leading Edge Electronics. In 2007, we decided to expand the floor space by an extra 100sqm, moving Gladstone Hi-Fi into the store beside us and creating a dedicated hi-fi and home theatre showroom.

We regularly attend training sessions with our suppliers, which is necessary for us to stay aligned with new technologies and provide the best service possible. We have recently been awarded the Leading Edge Electronics General Manager’s Award, and the Leading Edge Computers Rising Star award.

FACT FILE
Founded: 1990
Suppliers:Leading Edge, Jaycar, GoPro, Minelab
Directors:Donna Barletta, Carlo Barletta
Staff:8

Trent Quan-Sing, The Mobile Hub

Two years ago, Anuj Garba (the owner) started this place up just to do phone repairs as a kiosk-style service where people could come in and get their phones fixed on the spot.

The IT side happened a little while after that, when Anuj hired someone to set that up. Again, it was about trying to solve people’s problems as quickly as possible. 

I got involved six months ago as a computer technician, and I work on everything that I can. I’ve got nine years of computer troubleshooting experience, so when someone drops their computer off, I generally know what’s wrong with it and try to help them out as much as I can.

We deal with the micro-soldering component, and we’re one of the only companies who can do that in central Queensland.

We also buy and sell computers and phones, so we’ll inspect someone’s computer when it comes in, and if they want to sell it to us, we draw up a rough price and refurbish it. The boss is looking to set up another shop in Brisbane, which will see me managing this one and having to hire a couple of people to help out.

FACT FILE
Founded: 2015
Suppliers: Anything and everything
Directors: Anuj Garba
Staff: 3

Arthur De Looze, Arthur's Computer Essentials

We were established in 1999. I had a work accident and retrained myself to do IT; I was always interested in technology, so when I couldn’t do the physical work, I had to use my brain instead.

The core of the business is repairs, while the retail side has come off of back of that. The key is in dealing with the customers with honesty and integrity. I was brought up being told that you should be able to look the customer in the eye at the end of the day, and not duck your head when you walk down the street. 

In Gladstone, business is a bit gloomy for most, but we are lucky because we have established core customers that we do a lot of repeated business with – especially in the older generations. They reckon they can’t do it, but they can; we like to help them as much as possible. We provide really good customer service, and we’re pretty happy with the mix of what we’ve got.

FACT FILE
Founded:1999
Suppliers: AusComp, Leader
Directors:Arthur De Looze
Staff:3