Halfords Autocentres planning fleet growth

Six months after appointing Andrew Huntly as business development director, Halfords Autocentres is continuing to drive its fleet and affiliate business with the addition of two further BDMs. The new appointments bring Halfords Autocentres’ fleet account handling complement to six, demonstrating the business’ willingness to invest in the sector as part of ambitious growth targets.

Commenting on Halfords Autocentres’ fleet focus, Andrew Huntly said: “I hope that the fact we have doubled the size of our fleet team this year is seen as a clear statement of intent by existing and potential customers. Our enhanced team means that we now have the right resources in place to deliver the high quality service that fleet customers expect as our volumes increase, as well as sufficient capacity to develop some attractive propositions that will help fuel that growth. 

“We are also making significant investments across our network which will see our 270 existing centres rise to over 290 by the end of March – with new centres receiving 5 tonne ramps wherever possible opening to cater for the LCV market.” 

The business development managers now helping to drive Halfords Autocentres fleet business are: Marie Howes – whose 25 years in the automotive industry spans corporate and government account management for Hertz, as well as several years with National Car Rental, the AA and the RAC where she was a regional account manager in their warranty division managing relationships with brands including Jaguar. 

In addition Phil Bancroft – joins from Avis Budget UK, where he was responsible for managing large fleet clients, but his 25 years’ experience within the automotive industry also includes fleet work for Lex Autolease, the RAC’s rescue and windscreen business as well as time with Accident Exchange. 

“We have a great brand”, said Bancroft, “but need to be more visible and better known for the expertise of our highly trained and ATA accredited technicians. My priority will therefore be to promote better understanding of our offer at grassroots level within customers’ businesses.” 

Jason Gill – has been with Halfords Autocentres for over five years, following over a decade in the fleet industry with companies such as Lex Autolease and Arval. During this time he has helped to build and develop Halfords fleet proposition, which has seen fleet turnover more than double. 

A challenger brand?

Andrew Huntly added: “In a mature market which represents about a quarter of our overall revenue, some people regard us a ‘challenger brand’ rather than the established player that we undoubtedly are. If by ‘challenger brand’ they mean an aggressive, innovative player that can be fleet of foot when it matters and is unconstrained by long-established ways of working or bureaucracy – then I’d agree. 

“I believe that flexibility and value will play an increasingly important role in the decision making process of fleet managers, so being the only national network able to provide fleet operators with bespoke solutions and quality at a lower price than franchised dealers means we are ideally positioned.” 

Halfords Autocentres reports that it is the preferred independent Servicing, Maintenance and Repairs provider for the majority of the FN50, the vehicle rental industry and the used car warranty providers with clients including Lex Autolease, LeasePlan, Arval, Carillion, and Inchcape.