Halfords is preparing to reopen 53 stores to cope with a surge in bike sales during lockdown.
The high street retailer says they have seen a rise in cycle sales since the relaxation of Covid restrictions in the UK, with commuters being urged to use less public transport in England and exercise restrictions being lifted in Scotland.
Halfords has been allowed to remain open throughout the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown, classed as an “essential” business.
READ MORE: Pub giant JD Wetherspoon gears up to open
However, it chose to close sites and operate an employee-only model where customers could make purchases from outside or online, meaning 335 of Halfords’ 446 retail stores have been run this way since lockdown.
Halfords said: “However, there is no timetable or deadline in place for doing so and the pace will instead be dictated entirely by the company’s confidence that it can keep its colleagues and customers safe.”
New rules include reduced customers, queuing marshals, safety notices and floor markings, sneeze screen visors for staff and instructions to customers not to handle or try on products.
Chief executive Graham Stapleton said: “There has been a big surge in demand for our bike products and services as people have taken to cycling during the lockdown, both for commuting and for fun.
“We are also anticipating a similar level of demand for our motoring products and services in the coming days, as people begin to use vehicles again that in some cases will have been off the road for many weeks.”
READ MORE: Retail and leisure shares bounce as lockdown restrictions loosen
In addition to its retail stores, Halfords currently has 346 of its 373 garages and 77 vans operating under a contactless model.
Here's the full list of Scottish stores reopening:
Dundee
Edinburgh - Straiton
Hamilton
Inverness
Stirling
Here are the stores in the rest of the UK:
Aintree
Ashford
Aylesbury
Basingstoke
Bedford
Braintree
Cambridge
Chatham
Chelmsford
Chester
Colchester
Cribbs Causeway
Doncaster
Eastbourne
Exeter
Fareham
Frome
Gloucester
Harlow
Hemel Hempstead
Hereford
High Wycombe
Huddersfield
Ipswich Euro
Leamington Spa
Leicester, St Margarets
Lincoln, Tritton
Liverpool, Edge Lane
Maidstone
Milton Keynes
New Malden
Newport
North Shields
Norwich
Peterborough
Plymouth
Poole
Preston
Sheffield, Queens
Stevenage
Stockport
Swindon
Taunton
Telford
Thanet
Wakefield
Yeovil
York
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