I have alreast read and I think Halfords are going into a dangerious area. Unless they can be confident that all their new stores will operate honestly and fairly it could well damage their reputation.
That said apart from poor attitude towards customers I have found all the fast fit centres I have used to be honest but then I never really let them be dishonest if that makes sense.
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I have no idea why Halfords are bothering with this, surely they got their fingers burnt the first time they tried this?
The AA couldn't make a business of their garage units, neither could Nationwide, so why do Halfords think now is the time?
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It may be a response to difficult economic conditions - people may be more willing to avoid dealer prices these days. I bet there's a decent business plan - they're not mugs.
Edited by Pugugly on 20/02/2010 at 18:55
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But surely most people take it to indies where you usualy get a much better and personal service? I do use these places but only for tyres and exhausts as they cannot really get that wrong.
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Halfords is not part of any dealer network therefore does that not make them "independent"? Okay they area big company.
I remember when their premises did the original servicing for Daewoo when they first got introduced here.
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I always had good service from the previous Halfords/Boots venture
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My twenty years ago experience of Halfords was dreadful: shoddy service, poor quality.
My experience this year has been first rate - proper QA. Impressed. (£25 air con regass was great)
There are LOTS of small garages closing down due to people cutting back on maintenance.
I am sure Halfords do have a viable business plan : and if they manage it as well as the exhaust and tyres side appears to be, it should succeed.
Edited by rtj70 on 20/02/2010 at 19:12
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64m in profits last year - business very good in Q1 and Q2 of 09/10 - expectations in the high end for Halfords in Q4 - guess they know their onions...
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Make no mistake - Halfords are going for the jugular ... They have invested £72 million in this venture, and plan to open another 200 centres + create up to 1000 new jobs.
I have previously used their servicing centres many moons ago and quite recently I enquired if they still carried out servicing at any local depots.
The total number of cars on the UK roads is going up (according to the Reuters article) and that makes a 9 billion pound market very attractive.
How long before they get into electric vehicles in some way - they already sell electric bikes.
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I've known the Halfords brand on the high street since my early days of motoring in the 1970s. My use of them has fallen each decade due to the way they've moved from the core business of motoring parts/acccs supply.
These days it's hard to find a proper car part hidden amoungst the bikes, stereos, vacuum packed Corsa bling tat, boot fridges, DVDs, outdoor stuff and so on.
It's even harder to find a member of staff who really knows the working bits of cars.
None of this fills me with confidence for taking them a car to service.
As others have said they must know what they are doing... but remember the bottom line will always be about profit.
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I take my life in my hands when I enter a Halford's car park as there is usually so much debris around i.e bits dropped or left after various bits have been replaced on customer's cars.
I fear for my tyres to be honest and am very wary on where I park.
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That is true lots of small garages are closing down many folk will remember the good old days and won't know what they have been upto so will trust them.
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