11/09/2011 // United Kingdom // GTucker // Halfords Autocentres

Garage network Halfords Autocentres has reached the finish line in its recruitment drive for a new operations director - after attracting one of the industry’s leading lights to join the company.

Sector expert Simon Benson has taken up the operations reins from Bill Duffy, who was recently appointed as Halfords Autocentres chief executive.

Simon has joined the company from Kwik-Fit, where he served for 10 years, most recently as divisional director. He has also worked for Kingfisher Group brands Comet and Woolworths.

Halfords Autocentres is currently experiencing its most rapid period of expansion, with the company expecting to have an additional 14 centres open by the end of April 2012 and aiming to add up to another 30 by April 2013. It currently has 247 Autocentres, the most recent to open being in Blackpool.

The company prides itself on the operational excellence overseen by Mr Duffy during his time in the role, and he believes Simon’s appointment will help build on this reputation as they grow.

He said: “I believe that our ability to attract Simon to join us shows the progress that Halfords Autocentres has made and the way that we are now perceived as a leader in the industry.

“He is respected within the aftersales trade and brings with him a wealth of knowledge that will ensure that we will deliver on our promise to continue raising the bar for the car and van maintenance sector.

“Simon will be looking at all the areas of our business that help us to achieve that, including staff training, recruitment, professional standards and customer service.”

Having viewed Halfords Autocentres from the outside as a competitor, Simon admits he is delighted to now be on the orange side of the fence.

He said: “As an operator it is fantastic to see our business put values such as ‘trustworthy’, ‘honest’ and ‘helpful’ at the heart of their offer – especially in a sector which does carry some negative baggage with consumers. The firm is redefining the meaning of value for money in the sector, a proposition that is resonating strongly in these difficult times.

“I was attracted to Halfords Autocentres because of its ambitious plans and vision and I am very happy to now be a key part of delivering them.”

For more information on the Halfords Autocentre Team and their Cheap Car Mots http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/MOT/ or Cheap Car Tyres http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/tyres/ Visit the Halfords Autocentre Website

- ENDS -

For further information, please contact Jeremy Merckel – 0121 362 1637 / jeremy.merckel@waa.co.uk

About Halfords Autocentres:

With over 240 centres nationwide, Halfords Autocentres is the UK’s leading independent car servicing http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/car-servicing/ repair, tyre and MOT network. Now part of the Halfords group, our name may be new, but our centres have been a feature of the towns and cities of Britain for a decade or more.

Halfords Autocentres provides dealership quality work at affordable prices to around 650,000 customers every year, with over 8 out of 10 saying that they would recommend us to a friend. Our expert service is backed with both a quality and price guarantee: work is guaranteed for 12 months or 12,000 miles[1], and we promise to match any price quoted locally like for like[2].

www.halfordsautocentres.com

[3]Quality guarantee excludestaxis, private hire and rental cars.

[1]If you find the same goods or services cheaper (within 3 miles of the Autocentre and within 7 days) we will refund you the difference.

Jeremy Merckel / PR Account Director

0121 362 1637 / 07966 135671

www.waa.co.uk / A Campaign top 100 agency and Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Company to Work For

Social Media Tags:car servicing, cheap car tyres, cheap car mot

Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distrubution - SubmitMyPressRelease.com