Halfords online sales surge 110% to £580m

According to foreign media reports, a British motorcycle riding equipment retailer recently said that its online sales increased by 110% this year to 580 million pounds, accounting for 44% of the group's revenue.

Total sales for the year to April 2 were £ 1.3bn , up 13.1% from £1.2bn (1155.1m) the previous year . Retail sales rose 9.4% to £1.03bn, with strong growth in bicycle sales (+54.1% LFL) and a fall in car sales (-12.1% LFL) as car journeys fell (-25%), but car-related services, including replacement of light bulbs, blades and batteries, performed more strongly.

Autocentre posted sales of £252.5m, up 9.7% on the previous year, with sales of mobile specialist vans up 200%. Overall, its B2B sales led the way at 40%, accounting for 17.9% of group revenue.

Online demand grew rapidly (+61%) as a result of the lockdown . Halfords launched a new online platform in the final quarter of last year, meaning it was well placed to cope with the surge in demand.

New online capabilities include guided selling, visibility into local inventory availability, personalization, and recommendations, helping to increase retail conversion rates by 37% and increase the number of customers engaging with Auto Center content tenfold.

During the year the retailer closed all 22 Cycle Republic stores and reduced its Halfords stores by 42. It also directed more of its foot traffic to its performance bike business Tredz, which saw sales rise 66% and profits rise by £7m.

Graham Stapleton, chief executive of Halfords , said: “During the year, Halfords has rapidly accelerated its transformation into a services-led business and we are particularly pleased to have achieved record revenues .  

“Demand for our services remains strong heading into the new financial year, with our travel category performing particularly well at the moment given the accommodation trends seen this summer. Longer term, we remain confident in the future prospects of the UK car and bike markets and our ability to compete strongly in both markets. ”

Halfords

Online sales

Cycling equipment