Halfords to reopen further 53 stores
Cycling and car parts retailer Halfords is to reopen 53 of its stores following successful trials at its Peterborough and Bristol Cribbs Causeway shops.
The stores will all have extensive Covid-19 social distancing and safety measures in place.
Having been granted essential retailer status by the government during the coronavirus crisis, Halfords has been operating 335 of its 446 stores under a dark store model during lockdown. Until now, customers have been unable to enter stores to browse but instead have been placing orders with Halfords staff at the front of stores.
Graham Stapleton, chief executive of Halfords, said: “We are pleased to be in a position to start letting our customers back into our stores. However, we are going to be reopening them to our customers gradually and cautiously in order to be absolutely certain that our colleagues and customers have a safe environment in which to work and shop.”
Halfords said it has experienced a big surge in demand for cycling products and services during lockdown. It is anticipating a similar level of demand for its motoring products and services in the coming days, as people begin to use vehicles again that in some cases have been off the road for several weeks. The retailer is also launching a free ‘Road Ready Car Check’ service.
