Halfords to open 100 new workshops and invest in staff training

£60M to be spent on opening new centres and to improve the firm’s fitting and repair service

Halfords to open 100 new workshops and invest in staff training
Image: Bigstock.

Halfords new chief executive has unveiled plans to plough more money into the business – £60m a year rather than £40m.

The investment plan also includes updating its retail branches and revamping its online range.

It means profits will be flat in the financial years to the end of March in 2019 and 2020 before an expected mid-single digit percentage annual growth thereafter, the company has said.

The news sent shares in the FTSE 250 firm down more than six per cent

There are currently 316 Halfords Autocentres and the firm wants to open a further 100.

Mobile fitting and repairs

The retailer has also trialled mobile vans that offer a car parts fitting and repair service on people’s driveways, and wants to roll them out across the UK.

Halfords chief executive, Graham Stapleton said: “We are a strong and growing business, that benefits from a solid financial platform and highly experienced and capable colleagues.

“However, customer behaviours and the competitive environment are changing and we face an increasing number of headwinds.

“Our new long-term strategy means we will become far more focussed on the categories we are best known for, motoring and cycling.

He added: “We have an exciting future ahead and I am confident that we will become even more relevant to motoring and cycling customers in the future.”

Related: Halfords launches breakdown service with incentives to encourage drivers to its Fast Fits

Just last month, the fast fit announced the launch of a new breakdown recovery service for cars, vans, motorbikes and push bikes.

The news prompted an amusing response by many GW readers.

Wyn Humphreys said: “Handy that, they can collect the cars that they been working on.”

Heather Baldwin said: “Lots of headlamp bulbs fitted by Halfords are in upside down, how could you trust them to repair your vehicle or even recover it.”

Do you think the extra £20M investment could see Halfords improve the quality of its servicing and repairs, as suggested by the chief executive? Share your comments below.

Home Page Forums Halfords to open additional workshops and invest in staff training

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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  • #164838 Reply

    Halfords new chief executive has unveiled plans to plough more money into the business – £60m a year rather than £40m. The investment plan also includ
    [See the full post at: Halfords to open additional workshops and invest in staff training]

    #164851 Reply
    Alexander Mcintosh
    Guest

    Looking for service manager job if availed

    #164853 Reply
    GREGF
    Guest

    Oh dear even more cowboys to compete with !!

    #164854 Reply
    Jonny Bravo
    Guest

    Most the time they cant even fit a bulb correctly, I wouldn’t trust them to service my nans zimmer frame!

    #164855 Reply
    GREGF
    Guest

    Still, on the upside , it will take a few MORON’S off the street’s to staff them I suppose, every cloud and all that !!

    #164856 Reply
    mark mitchell
    Guest

    gregf i will tell you my mate steven is a manager with them he is not a moron he is a muppet for the first class i would not let him fit a bulb because he would mess it up no kidding

    #164857 Reply
    Marcus
    Guest

    Good luck finding staff, especially when it’s 7 day a week outfit.

    #164859 Reply
    Christopher
    Guest

    Halfturds!!!!! O dear more botched bulbs.

    #164861 Reply
    Simon James
    Guest

    ah love it weekend want to be mechanic fixing a weekend want to be mechanics car the only thing that creates is more money for the real garage to repair what they messed up . just like kwick fit and mr clutch so called techs no background and no experiance required no wonder the trade going to the dogs and no one wants to be a mechanic

    #164863 Reply
    Dougal
    Guest

    While I agree with all of the above they will still attract customers via large scale marketing campaigns.
    Some of these customers will be upset by the quality of service and never go back.
    The real motor trade will still have lost the £100 ++++ that they were charged on the first visit.

    #164866 Reply
    Brad
    Guest

    All the time that they are screwing peoples cars, and then coming to us to get repaired properly, i don’t see it as much of a problem.
    I don’t need to make them look bad, not when they are dropping tools inside mercedes engines and stuffing them up.

    #166044 Reply
    Taz
    Guest

    That’s excellent news more work for us Independants putting there shoddy work right thanks Halfords!!

    #166045 Reply
    bob
    Guest

    I am putting another two bedroom flat above my workshop I can’t get any mechanics tyre fitted locally and I’ll pay good money for for Right people how is Helford going to get people to work seven days a week Where are they going to get the skil mechanics to train Then Bob Leatherhead

    #166046 Reply
    graham cox
    Guest

    the whole industry needs to take note,customers are driven by cost and thease idiots work for cheap on the face of it,no matter how bad they are people will still use them and each one of thease customers is a lost job to our independent sector.
    without doubt based on our experience they will not be able to staff the garages with decent mechanics,so they will use who ever they can find,unless this industry gets correct regulation us the independents will continue to struggle and those garages who are not confident in there own ability will drop there prices to compete rather than standing there ground and charging the correct amount of money.
    this is now the time to get all good garages together and formulate a plan of attack to inform the public and government exactly why they need to use and support garages with trained and quality staff.

    #166049 Reply
    keith davis
    Guest

    We had one locally and my workshop regularly had to rectify dreadful workmanship .
    Common problem was i had to charge customers more because i had to fix the damage done by said repairer and then correctly fix the original fault .

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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