Propel Finance has set its sights on the Apple market, working with channel partners that handle the vendor’s product range to provide finance options that can be pitched to small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers.
The programme is kicking off with Apple Premium Partner Select, which covers the country with retail store operations and has an established presence in the SME market. The firm runs 11 stores across the breadth of the UK, and a further seven providing comprehensive coverage in Ireland.
Propel is embedding its finance platform into LiftForward, which is Apple’s platform partner, handling partner subscription and upgrade programmes. SMEs will be able to access finance to help them purchase Apple products, including PCs, watches and phones.
The Propel offering covers hardware and add-ons, upgrades, end-of-life trade-in and recycling, with monthly repayments available over 12 to 48 months.
Mark Catton, CEO of Propel Finance, said finance could help the channel unlock more SME orders for Apple products, and it would kick off with the Select relationship.
“We are delighted to work with Apple’s channel partners in offering embedded finance propositions to their SMB customers. We are hoping to enable hundreds of thousands of UK businesses to access finance to invest in Apple technology, giving them the power to do their best work. We are looking forward to launching with Select as the first partner over the coming weeks,” he said.
Andy Synnott, marketing and e-commerce director at Select, said the option to provide finance around Apple products would appeal to SME customers.
By combining flexible finance with lifecycle and sustainability services, we’re offering a smarter, more efficient way for businesses to invest in digital capability
Andy Synnott, Select
“This partnership unlocks opportunities for UK businesses to access the Apple technology they need to grow. By combining flexible finance with lifecycle and sustainability services, we’re offering a smarter, more efficient way for businesses to invest in digital capability,” he said.
There have been recent signs that Apple’s hold in the commercial market has been growing.
According to Canalys figures covering the PC market in the second quarter, Apple holds 9.4% of the global market, sitting in fourth place behind Lenovo, HP and Dell. The vendor shipped 6.4 million units in the quarter, and outperformed the market with 21.3% year-on-year growth.
Kieren Jessop, research manager at Canalys, now part of Omdia, pointed to the move by many customers to upgrade ageing PC fleets as one that would benefit PC manufacturers.
“The commercial refresh cycle is providing vital momentum for the market. A June poll of channel partners found over half expect their PC business to grow year on year in the second half of 2025, with 29% anticipating growth of over 10%,” he said.
Elsewhere in the channel, there have been further signs of activity in the Apple ecosystem, with Exclusive Networks signing Apple management and security specialist Jamf last week as it moved to bolster its own capabilities around the vendor’s platform and increase its connections with the vendor’s partner ecosystem.
Providing some context for the announcement, Marc Botham, global vice-president of channel and alliances at Jamf, said the firm had experienced increased demand across the UK and Ireland for Apple products and services, and expected that momentum to continue.
