Halfords Group has appointed Adam Pay as managing director of Garages at Halfords. Pay will lead Halfords’ growing garage services business, taking over from Karen Bellairs, who continues with the business as Chief Customer Officer. Adam Pay will report directly to Henry Birch, chief executive officer, and will join the company’s executive team.
After eight years at Halfords Autocentres, Pete Marden has rejoined Kwik Fit as Business Development Director. Upon returning to the company where he began his automotive career a quarter century ago, Marden will focus on servicing, maintenance and repair (SMR), supporting fleet customers and playing a key role in deciding the future strategy for SMR across Kwik Fit, including supplier relationships, capital expenditure and network expansion. He will also take on responsibility for Kwik Fit Club, the company’s tyre and servicing subscription offering.
Kwik Fit is bucking the trend of consolidation in the tyre retail sector with a new growth strategy across the UK. That much is evidenced by the appointment of Automotive property consultancy Rapleys to advise on its search for new premises, understood to be focused mainly on pre-let opportunities. However, Tyres & Accessories understands that standing assets will also be considered.
Indeed, Rapleys representatives report that Kwik Fit wants to “open in more locations”. This is on top of “a robust investment programme to upgrade existing sites with a focus on innovation and sustainability to adapt to changing requirements and customer demand.”
The 2025 Tyres & Accessories tyre retail ranking features some significant changes – indeed some of the biggest changes in the make-up of the table since we began this research 13 years ago. ETEL and Halfords Autocentres, retain first and second places respectively albeit with both networks contracting slightly. Those changes are proportionally small adjustments to their respective positions that reflect market saturation and/or strategic geographic decision, but are no threat to their leading positions.
With the passing of Sir Tom Farmer, who died peacefully at home on 9 May, aged 84, the UK loses a significant figure within the tyre industry and beyond. Kwik Fit, the company he founded more than half a century ago, is amongst the many who honoured Sir Tom over the weekend.
Kwik Fit has won gold for its most recent advertisement. The award came in the automotive category at the British Arrows, an advertising awards body which honours the best moving image advertising in the UK.
The film was created for Kwik Fit by the company’s advertising agency VCCP and highlighted the reasons why customers drive away happy every time they visit a centre or have Kwik Fit mobile visit them.
Kwik Fit has completed the buy-back of a portfolio of 83 of its centres from the Hong Kong based Spring Real Estate Investment Trust. The completion of the deal brings the total number of centres which the company has bought this financial year to 115. These deals include centres right across the country – from northern Scotland to the South West of England.
Tesla is currently gaining unwelcome headlines as the car brand most likely to be set alight by those with an axe to grind, but we’re told it also heads the table of vehicles causing tyre wear. Specifically, data from Kwik Fit shows that the Tesla Model 3 “tops the list in significantly more locations than any other vehicle” when it comes to car models that are disproportionately likely to need new tyres.
Listen up, potholes – if you suppose Kwik Fit hasn’t noticed what you’re doing to Britain’s car wheels, think again. The independent parts and repair specialist knows your game and is warning drivers that the cost of pothole damage is on the rise again after falling over the previous two years. In the last 12 months, UK drivers have, faced a total bill of £1.7 billion in repairing damage to their cars caused by potholes.
Since Tyres & Accessories broke the news that ATS Euromaster is closing 86 branches across the country, details have emerged relating to how leading tyre retail chains are seeking to employ staff from amongst the roughly 400 believed to be affected by the closures. As well as repeated social media posts from human resources personnel at Kwik-Fit’s parent company ETEL, multiple local news sources report that Halfords executives have made an open offer for interviews to ex-ATS Euromaster staff.
For 2025, Continental Tyres aims to “empower young girls and women to participate in rugby by eliminating barriers to their involvement.” The official partner to England Rugby is undertaking this endeavour in partnership with Kwik Fit and Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) and will focus upon promoting equality in sports and revitalising community spaces, specifically by renovating rugby clubs and boosting facilities for girls, whilst helping local young people to gain hands-on trade and employability skills.
A group of the aftermarket’s leading suppliers, repairers and trade bodies has co-signed a list of five key policy requests sent by LKQ UK & Ireland to the Secretary of State for Transport. Under the title, ‘Fighting for the Right to Repair’, LKQ UK & Ireland CEO Kevan Wooden set the scene by outlining the […]
Bridgestone, in collaboration with Kwik Fit, reports making its “biggest impression ever” at the British Motor Show, conducting over 800 tyre safety checks and showcasing its products through innovative holographic displays. This year’s event, held at Farnborough International from 15 to 18 August, marked Bridgestone’s third consecutive appearance. The company had the opportunity to engage with over 70,000 visitors. Bridgestone and Kwik Fit also served as exclusive partner sponsors of the Motorsport Arena and Hall Five.
Kwik Fit is extending its mobile network in response to “an increase in demand from both fleet and retail customers”. To that end, the tyre retailer has signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz Vans to add over 100 Sprinter vans to its mobile fitting fleet over the coming year.
New research reveals that many Brits are planning dual summer holidays this year. The Kwik Fit-commissioned study of 2,000 UK adults suggests that that 13.5 million people intend to take both UK and foreign holidays this summer. The automotive servicing and repair company advises that a few simple pre-travel checks can save money and avoid hassle.
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