History

Founded in 1892 by Frederick W Rushbrooke in Birmingham, Halfords was originally started as a successful wholesale ironmongery store selling all the usual products you would normally find from this type of shop. In 1902 Rushbrooke moved the store to Halford Street in Leicester, this was where the name of the company as its known now was derived and they started selling cycling goods from the premises at this time with the company called Halfords Cycle Company Limited, a product which they are historically famous for.

By 1910 110 stores were opened and by 1931 they were operating from 200 stores nationwide. The first Scottish store was opened in Glasgow in 1934 a further turning point in the astonishing expansion. 1945 saw the purchase of the Birmingham Bicycle Company, which allowed it to expand its operations even further.

1953 saw the sad death of the founder F W Rushbrooke this was compounded by the news that the main building in Corporation Street Birmingham burnt to the ground, although this was not going to beat the resilience of the company and just 10 days later they were back in business operating from a temporary store in Kyotts Lake Road.

By 1968 the store numbers had expanded to over 300 making it the largest retailer of bikes in the UK, making the company a lucrative target, with Burmah Oil buying Halfords Limited. Due to the acquisition the company portfolio now included 317 stores and giving Halfords an important foothold in the specialist motor stores niche.

The next few years turned out to be a busy time in changes or ownership 1989 saw Halfords Limited sold to the Ward White Group, shortly after the company was acquired by The Boots Company. In 2002 Halfords was acquired from The Boots Company being bought out by CVC Capital Partners.

Halfords today

Today the brand continues to go from strength to strength, delivering high sales year on year and cementing itself as a market leader in its field of cycles some of which are sold under the own brand name of Apollo, car spares, in-car audio & technology, tools and camping & touring goods.

The year 2000 saw the launch of Halfords.com its first online store venture, in June 2009 Halfords.com launched its Republic of Ireland site Halfords.Ie. Both sites allow customers to view, reserve & collect items, and then pay for them in-store. As from 2010 the company operates from a total of 462 stores.

Gift Vouchers Information

Give the gift of Halfords Vouchers, which allow your friend or family to choose whatever they want from their wide range of products at any time in-store.