Halfords


Halfords

Halfords is a chain of motoring stores that can be found all over the UK which sells motoring equipment, tools, and accessories. In recent years they have also pushed into the cycling niche by selling cycles, tyres, helmets, clothing, equipment and accessories for bikes as well. Other items that they sell include camping equipment and child car seats. With Halfords store count now over 400 in the UK, they can certainly be considered the number one when it comes to motoring stores.

They also provide fitting services for many of their products while they also have a number of Autocentres which can carry out a range of mechanical services such as MOT testing, repairs and servicing.

Halfords Opening Times and Locations

Halfords stores will usually be found in retail parks, industrial estates and on the high streets in most major towns and cities. London has the most Halfords stores compared to other cities as you might expect but Bristol and Glasgow are not too far behind in that respect. No matter where you are situated in the UK, the chances are that you are never too far away from a Halfords considering there are more than 400 of them as of right now.

Their distinctive orange and black logo ensure that you do not have trouble spotting a store when on the road or on foot and you will find that most operate on pretty standard Halfords opening times. Most Halfords opening times are from 9 AM Monday to Friday closing at 8 PM while on Saturdays and Sundays the Halfords opening times are between 9 AM to 6 PM and 10 AM to 5 PM respectively.

If you wanted to visit Halfords on over Christmas, on Boxing Day, New Year's Day, over Easter or on bank holidays, you are likely to see slightly different opening hours. This is so that the stores operate within the regulations set out by local authorities. You can find the Halfords opening times for a branch close to you on their online store locator.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Halfords

Think you know everything about Halfords? Well did you know these five fun facts?

  1. Halfords currently employs more than 10,000 staff
  2. Halfords got its name from Halford Street in Leicester, the street of the first ever store
  3. The company which would eventually turn into Halfords actually started out as an ironmongery in 1892.
  4. Halfords sponsors and backs a number of motor racing and cyclist teams
  5. Halfords is floated on the London Stock Exchange

Products and Services

While many associate Halfords with motoring, the company's main roots actually lie in cycle repair, maintenance and accessories. This is understandable considering the company has been around a lot longer than the automobile and it wasn’t until cars became affordable for most families that Halford do move into that side of things as well.

Cycles, cars, motorbikes, caravans, camping, scooters, go karts and even hoverboards are the modes of transport that you can buy parts, accessories and clothing for at Halfords while you can also take advantage of fitting services at most of their stores too. If you need a bike helmet, new windscreen wipers, a replacement car battery or some new tyres, Halfords will have you covered.

Halfords have a full sale-to-service concept in that you can buy a bike from them, have it built and set up correctly by the cycle engineers and then have it serviced.  This can include everything from a basic child’s cycle up to high-cost, high-performance cycles costing many thousands of pounds. They are able to offer customised add-ons and modifications on cycles ranging from commuter cycles, to BMX, to hybrids and race cycles.

A Brief History

Amazingly, the company behind Halfords has seen three different centuries with it first being established in 1892. Founded by Frederick Rushbrooke in Birmingham, the company first started out as a wholesale ironmongery. Ten years later the company then started to sell cycles and related parts and accessories and within another 30-years the company had more than 200 stores under its name across the United Kingdom.

Over the years Halfords has been acquired by a number of groups such as the Ward White Group in 1983, Boots Group in 1991 and CVC Capital Partners in 2002. It has been floated on the LSE since 2004 and consistently has a turnover of a billion a year. If there was a bigger British retailer of car and bicycle parts in the UK right now, we have certainly missed them.

More Bikes and scooters in the UK

Halfords closed? Then try one of the other Bikes and scooters nearby.