Cycling and motoring accessories specialist Halfords has opened its latest overhauled branch.
The revamped shop in Reading Retail Park, Berkshire, is designed to bring together Halfords’ advice, service and product strengths through “an enhanced layout for easier, more personalised service”.
Changes include a dedicated auto services area staffed by a dedicated manager, “bridging the gap between retail and garages to offer a full end-to-end motoring solution”, and a redesigned bulbs, blades, and batteries section enabling a ‘look up and fit’ service.
Halfords managing director of retail Mark Delaney said: “We’re investing in our stores to deliver the very best experience for our customers – whether that’s expert guidance on the shop floor, seamless access to our motoring services, or helpful, friendly support from our colleagues.
“The new Reading store is a great example of how we’re bringing our retail and garage services closer together. It’s a modern, confident space designed to make it even easier for customers to get what they need, when they need it.”
New Halfords chief executive Henry Birch sees the combination of products and services as a differentiating strength.
When the retailer issued results last month, Birch told Retail Week: “What I really love about Halfords is it’s retail with a difference. We’ve got a retail business, but the majority of what we do has a service element.
“Someone comes into one of our stores – and typically they are coming into stores, probably more so than other businesses – because they want advice, or they want a roof box fitted. I think that’s different from a lot of retail. Then we’ve got a garages business that is successful and growing. There is customer synergy between those two and I think we’re starting to unlock that.”
The Reading opening is part of an ongoing programme of store upgrades.
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