Strong trading at Halfords as cycling is stand-out winner

Published by

Nicky Godding

Redditch-based motoring and cycling retailer, Halfords Group has reported strong trading across the quarter with Group like-for-like sales up more than 11 per cent - which includes retail up 9.8 per cent and its Autocentres up more than 21. per cent.

Cycling was the stand-out winner for Halfords. Life for Life growth in this retail sector was more than 35 per cent, driven by continued strength in ae-bikes and e-scooters, despite global container shortages and port congestion impacting availability.

Its performance cycling business, Tredz, continued to see high levels of demand, growing more than 50 per cent like for like over the quarter, indicating a high retention of customers from Cycle Republic, which Halfords exited in March 2020.

Autocentres sales were up more than 30 per cent, 30.5%, driven – says Halfords, but its best-in-class digital operating model, its first group-wide motoring campaign and expansion of the Halfords Mobile Expert vans proposition.

But like for like sales were down more than eight per cent in motoring, although Halfords says that is a pleasing performance relative to UK traffic volumes being approximately 25 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels as a result of lockdowns.

Graham Stapleton, Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are pleased to have delivered a strong performance under hugely challenging circumstances, including our best ever Christmas week. Despite a large reduction in traffic on the roads, our strategically important Autocentres business saw significant growth, with particularly strong demand for the services of our growing fleet of Halfords Mobile Expert vans.

"We are currently carrying out over half a million services and repair jobs on cars and bikes each month, and therefore continue to play an essential role in keeping the UK moving during this pandemic. Throughout the crisis we are privileged to have been able to offer free checks and discounts to 239,000 NHS workers, teachers and Armed Forces staff to help them keep their vehicles safe and roadworthy."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.