High Peak Tech & Hobbies
5 July 2026
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Sector: Retail
Location: High Peak
High Peak Tech & Hobbies is a tech repair and sales business based in Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Since 2020 Oliver George and his wife Jade have owned this small independent business which serves customers in the town and surrounding communities. It provides device repairs, advice and technology products including phones, tablets and laptops.
What makes this business somewhat different is that alongside the tech support, it also serves the hobby and miniature gaming community, with a particular focus on Warhammer and tabletop modelling.
Oliver and Jade are very much hands-on in the business and are proud to be part of the high street, offering a friendly, approachable service. Their vision is to create a place people can come for practical help with technology, and also browse hobby products, talk about gaming and connect with others who have the same interests.
Challenges faced
One of the key challenges has been around rising energy costs and general overheads which has created additional pressure. For a small retail business with premises, even relatively small increases can have a high impact on margins. At the same time, inflation has affected the cost of products, materials and day-to-day business expenses, as well as the reduced disposable income of customers.
Being a two-person business, capacity is also a challenge. Oliver and Jade have plenty of great ideas to boost business growth – especially around marketing – but finding the time and skills to do things consistently can be difficult alongside dealing with repairs, customers, stock, sales and other business demands.
Despite knowing that business visibility is very important, marketing is often pushed back when more pressing day-to-day demands take over. However, there was also a need to bring more people through the door to help the business grow.
Solution – Support Given
High Peak Tech & Hobbies has been supported by East Midlands Chamber Business Adviser, Steve Phillips and the Accelerator project. Steve has provided advice, guidance and encouragement enabling Oliver and Jade to look at the business more clearly, talk through challenges and identify practical ways to move forward.
Support has given the couple a chance to step back from the business and look at it from a different perspective. Oliver said:
“When you’re running a small business every day, it can be difficult to find the time to properly review what is working, what could be improved and where support could have the biggest impact.”
Accelerator support has been particularly useful around marketing and visibility. Jade added:
“We talked about how the business presents itself, how we can make better use of social media and how we can show the shop’s personality more. That’s important as its not just tech repairs and sales, we’ve got this whole Warhammer and hobby side, which makes us more distinctive.”
The business successfully applied for a Growth Voucher which provided £1,520 funding towards a social media manager session and video team. This consultancy support helped to create new content which better explained what High Peak Tech & Hobbies do, showcase its range of services and products, and bring the business to life online.
Jade and Oliver also attended the funded Accelerator workshop ‘Practical Guide to Marketing’ to help enhance business skills.
Impact - The Difference it’s Made
Oliver and Jade report they have already seen more footfall into the business, which has been very encouraging. This allows them to have more conversations, more enquiries and more opportunities to build relationships with customers. Importantly it also gives them a chance to help people understand their unique set up of tech repair, hobby products and tabletop gaming.
Steve has also helped them set up a new podcast which has had a good response and brought in new customers already.
Accelerator support has given the team access to expertise and experience which they may not have been able to bring into the business themselves, and move ideas into practical actions, particularly around marketing and raising the visibility of the business.Oliver said:
“The support has also helped us feel more confident about how we promote the business. We now have a clearer understanding of the importance of showing what we do rather than assuming people already know. The content support should help us communicate the full range of the business more effectively, including repairs, sales and the Warhammer side.
It’s also helped us feel less isolated as business owners. Having someone to speak to, ask questions and talk through ideas has been valuable. It’s helped us focus on realistic actions that fit the size and capacity of our business.”
It’s early days to measure the full impact but the increase in footfall indicates that better visibility and more focused marketing can bring in new and existing customers to the shop. For High Peak Tech & Hobbies this helps safeguard the business by strengthening its local presence and reminding people that there’s an independent business they can visit locally.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to Steve and the Derbyshire Accelerator project for the support.
Steve has supported us every step of the way, answered our questions and helped us understand the support available. It has been reassuring to have someone who takes the time to listen, understand the business and suggest practical steps that feel achievable for a small independent business like ours.
Overall, it has made a positive difference and helped us think more clearly about how we continue to grow the business."
- Oliver & Jade George, Directors
