Over three decades Nottingham-based Jigsaw24 has grown to become an industry-leading provider of Apple tech to businesses. Founder and CEO Roger Whittle said growth has been bolstered by increasing demands of the “hybrid world” for more enterprise tech. Turnover recently hit £169 million, up 19 per cent on the previous year, and the business now employs more than 300 people at offices in Nottingham and London. We asked him about the secret of his success.
BusinessLive: What does your business do?
Roger Whittle: Jigsaw24 is a leading B2B technology solutions provider and is the premier partner for Apple services in the UK. We sell over 100,000 Apple Macs, iPads and iPhones each year to enterprise and providing technical support to assist companies integrate Apple technology into their organisations.
We recently celebrated our 30 th anniversary, and over that time Jigsaw24 has seen huge developments. For example, the ever-evolving nature of digital media – from the demise of disk drives to the innovation, growth and expansion of the cloud ecosystem.
Over the course of the past 30 years, Jigsaw24 has grown and adapted to these market trends to ensure it is at the forefront of the technology space. We have the highest levels of Apple accreditation and with over 300 employees and more than 30 years of experience in Apple products, we are leaders in Apple product sales and Enterprise-grade managed services across the UK.
In my opinion, our expertise and specialism on Apple, is unmatched. Through this, we have been able to provide our partners with unique and leading knowledge on these technologies to advance their digital workplace experience and make the most out of Apple’s offerings as the technology continues to be adopted by all sorts of organisations in the private and public sector.
BusinessLive: Tell us about your clients?
Roger Whittle: We work across a broad spectrum of clients including larger enterprises, small business, educational organisations and public bodies, offering bespoke solutions to meet a variety of technological needs.
One notable project for me was our work supporting the NHS, which saw Jigsaw24 deploy 11,000 iPads to care homes across England.
With Covid-19 safety concerns meaning that care home residents were unable to see family members and friends in person, the power to connect them digitally became a key priority.
The chosen Apple technology for this project was an iPad due to its easy-to-use nature, security and value.
This solution included a managed service with full remote management of devices, a service desk providing support to care homes using ITIL best practices – the set of guidelines to provide the best service possible -, and the staging, and shipping of around 750 devices every day of the week.
The pandemic left many feeling isolated – particularly those in care homes – so, our work in getting these devices in the hands of those who needed them the most was a special project to be a part of.
BusinessLive: Tell me about the company’s background?
Roger Whittle: Jigsaw24 is headquartered in Nottingham and has been since 1992. Our workforce of circa 300 has grown more than 15 percent over the last year. This year we reached record revenue of £169 million for the year to May 31, 2022 – a testament to the strength of our business and the developments we have made over the last 12 months. We also operate from a 150-person service centre just off the M1 and a 100-person customer experience centre in central London.
The organisation has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, investing heavily in many technical and management areas bringing in a wealth of channel experience.
BusinessLive: You are based in Nottingham – what is the city like as a place for doing business?
Roger Whittle: As the largest economy in the East Midlands, Nottingham provides a great home for Jigsaw24. Expanding its industrial roots, sectors such as technology, creative industries and life sciences are now thriving more than ever in the area. From its first-class public transport system to its proximity to two leading universities, the access to talent, skills and creative minds has assisted a range of businesses to excel in the city.
Beyond its transport links, Nottingham is a great place for collaboration. For example, business and educational institutions are increasingly working together – through research, placements, and graduate recruitment - to retain leading talent in the city.
BusinessLive: How tough has the journey been for Jigsaw24?
Roger Whittle: This year we have seen an increase of £10 million on our 2021 turnover, and we forecast continued growth as our clients increasingly demand more from enterprise technology.
A great team helps. At Jigsaw24, I am surrounding by great talent, supportive and enthusiastic colleagues – the key ingredient to the success of Jigsaw24. Beyond this, it is also the commitment to our customers and our values that has driven the 30-year longevity and underpins our growth.
BusinessLive: What is your background Roger?
Roger Whittle: I launched the business aged 27 in 1992, fuelled by a love of technology. Launched, lunched – and still here! But the seeds for the business were set a little before then. In 1984 when I was 20, I got the opportunity to travel to Japan on an amazing industrial study tour with Toyota and Toshiba and that trip changed my life. From that moment I knew I wanted to work in IT but most importantly knew Apple had to be involved.
BusinessLive: How is your sector doing?
Roger Whittle: The channel is seeing positive growth, as Covid left companies demanding more from their technology. With patterns of working shifting and hybrid world becoming the new norm, the IT channel has seen partners look for a seamless and integrated IT experience. In addition, we have also seen our partners requiring increased support as they grapple with the needs of at-home working. At Jigsaw24, we adapted to this need by opening a new M1 based service centre in 2021, enabling further expansion of our service portfolio.
However, cost-of-living pressures are creating its challenges for all businesses, and companies are increasingly reviewing their costs and looking for tech that provides value for their investments. At Jigsaw24, we are committed to provide our partners with technology that is reliable, sustainable and worth investing in.
BusinessLive: What are the short and medium plans for the business?
Roger Whittle: As digital transformation continues, we are expecting to see a lot of growth for the business and more exciting challenges to be faced by a great team. We are constantly adapting to the changing nature of our clients and their technology needs.
For example, employee choice is increasingly becoming a norm in the workplace and employees are being provided with more opportunity to choose the best device for their role and way of working.
With this, we have seen an increase in the implementation of Apple technology across sectors and have recognised the need to ensure our partners benefit from a holistic service in this transition.
The launch of our Partner Apple Maintenance Service shows just that – a maintenance offering to increasingly support our clients implement Apple technology and meet the changing demand for enterprise technology.
BusinessLive: Are there any possibilities for mergers or acquisitions? Would the business consider a flotation?
Roger Whittle: We are currently fully funded and have no immediate plans or need for progressing any fundraising.
With two highly two successful acquisitions in 2014 and 2017 under our belts, we are always on the lookout for acquisition opportunities, not only businesses but also talent.
Every month we are taking on new employees and this is very satisfying for all the obvious reasons.
