We car a lot - Halfords buy Nationwide Autocentres
Would you trust Halfords with your car? We wouldn't trust them to sharpen our pencils, but soon you'll be able to have your motor repaired by the folks who sold you your first bike. The retailer has just paid over £73 million for Nationwide Autocentres, meaning over 200 of the outlets will be rebranded as Halfords Autocentres.
Halfords reckon that the car maintenance market is worth £9 billion, with about 33 million cars needing regular servicing and repairs - that's a lot of car accessories and parts, and should mean even more bulk buying to bring those store prices down. No, of course it won't. Halfords also said it plans to open 200 more autocentres, which will create more than 1,000 new jobs. That works out at five staff per centre, so the chances of picking up your car at the time the mechanic told you will still remain slim to anorexic.
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