Halfords recovery on the horizon

Cycle retailer Halfords (HFD) fought hard to protect its top line during the third quarter, which included the all-important festive trading period. Like-for-like sales stayed flat across the retail business but rose 1.9 per cent at the auto centres division – the ninth consecutive quarter of growth for that part of the business. For the year-to-date, group sales are up 1.3 per cent.