Halfords’ Graham Stapleton steps down as chief executive
Halfords’ chief executive Graham Stapleton has left the company after seven years in the role.
He has been succeeded by Henry Birch, the former chief executive of the Very Group, who has also previously headed up Rank Group and William Hill online.
Stapleton has been credited with steering the company’s successful change from a cycling and motoring retailer to an omnichannel retail and services business. During his time at the helm, annual revenues have grown from £1.1 billion to £1.7 billion with more than half of group sales now service related.
Keith Williams, chair of Halfords, said: “Graham has transformed the Halfords business to make it fit for the future, leading it through a challenging period including the Covid pandemic and a global macroeconomic slowdown.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“On behalf of the board I would like to thank him for his dedication and commitment to the business throughout his tenure.
“The board is also very pleased to be welcoming Henry to Halfords. We are very confident that he has the skills and experience to take the business forward in the next phase of its long history.”
The news came as Halfords announced that group like-for-like sales increased by 2.3% in the 52 weeks to 28 March. The retailer said its underlying group pre-tax profit for the year will be at the upper end of its previously guided range of £32 million to £37 million.
Stapleton said: “This is a performance to be proud of, mitigating more than £30 million of inflation in what continued to be a very challenging trading environment in FY25. I want to thank every single Halfords colleague for their hard work in achieving a significantly stronger result than we anticipated at the start of the financial year.”
“After seven years leading the transformation of Halfords from a cycling and motoring retailer to an omnichannel motoring services super-specialist, most recently brought to life through the Fusion programme, it is time for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of the business’s evolution. I wish Henry and the team all the best.”
