Halfords boss urges govt to help with labour market gap as profit guidance shrinks PROFIT GUIDANCE Halfords’ chief executive Graham Stapleton has called on the government to help fill a gap in the labour market as the group reduced its profit guidance from £60m to £50m. Stapleton said it couldn’t get “enough qualified technicians into our garages to meet demand” and that was hurting growth. According to the chief executive, the [...]
Halfords focusing on offering shoppers more essentials as they slash discretionary spending SIGN OF THE TIMES Halfords must transform into offering more essential products as shoppers trim back discretionary purchases, bosses said on Wednesday morning. The cycling specialist said that a switch-up to selling more “needs-based” items was key as the firm must become less “reliant and exposed to the volatility of more discretionary product markets.” It warned it was expecting [...]
Halfords buys commercial tyre firm Lodge Tyre for £37.2m TYRES Halfords has bought commercial tyre firm Lodge Tyre for £37.2m in cash, the motoring services retailer announced today. The London-listed company will pay an initial £33.2m while a further £4m will be paid in FY25 depending on performance. “The acquisition of Lodge Tyre is yet another example of Halfords’ strategic aim of becoming a motoring [...]
Halfords warns cost pressures could lead to road safety risks September 7, 2022 Halfords share price boomed more than 10 per cent on Wednesday morning, following a trading update. Halfords saw like for like sales dip 1.9 per cent compared to the year before, for the 20-week period to 19 August 2022. Sales last year benefitted from the end of the Covid lockdown in the UK. The motoring [...]
Halfords fined for sending 500,000 unwanted marketing emails September 6, 2022 Halfords has been fined £30,000 after an investigation found it had sent nearly 500,000 unwanted marketing emails. The bike retailer had received complaints over emails about a government voucher scheme that gave people £50 off the cost of repairing a bike at any participating store or mechanic in England. Halfords jumped on the scheme to [...]
Halfords calls on government to rethink scrapping of EV grant June 16, 2022 Motoring retailer Halfords has called on the government to rethink its decision to scrap the £1,500 grant for the purchase of new electric cars. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced on Tuesday it would “refocus” the funding available away from the grant to encourage other road users, including taxis and delivery vans, to make the [...]
Halfords offers Northern line commuters e-bike loans amid 17-week Bank branch closure January 18, 2022 Cycling and motoring services giant Halfords is offering Northern line commuters free e-bike loans, as workers face a 17-week line closure. Commuters with an Oyster Card or season ticket are eligible for a free e-bike for up to a week at a time, offered on a first come, first served basis. Halfords has invited commuters [...]
Halfords boss urges government to do more to address skills gap as shortage of mechanics starts to bite December 6, 2021 A shortage of specialist mechanics is interfering with Halfords’ agenda to rapidly grow the number of electric cars on Britain’s roads to such an extent that the boss of the company has called on government to do more. Graham Stapleton, chief executive of the retailer and motoring services business, said he is “very concerned” that [...]
Halfords inks £62m deal for automotive servicing business National December 1, 2021 Cycling and motoring services giant Halfords has acquired National, the tyre and automotive servicing business in a £62m deal. National operates under the brands National Tyres and Autocare, Viking Wholesale Tyres and Tyre Shopper. The deal will mean Halfords is the largest vehicle service, maintenance and repair business in the UK and help the company [...]
Jerry can sales surge at Halfords as fuel panic buying grips the UK September 27, 2021 Jerry can sales surged an eyewatering 1,656 per cent at Halfords this weekend, as panic buying gripped the UK when news of a fuel shortage hit the streets. With a trickling supply of HGV drivers in the country, fuel forecourts have been reporting a reduced supply of petrol and diesel, which has led to cars [...]