The
Halfords £250 bike is a Coyote Swift which is not a Halfords brand. There is a folding bike (Dallingridge Freedom - not a
Decathlon brand) currently being sold by Decathlon for £175 that has the same rear mech as the Coyote Swift - this also demonstrates that Halfords does not de facto provide better value and quality .
The argument isn't about Halfords or Decathlon as a bike manufacturer - it's about what they sell and the level of service you get. You are positing that Halfords is by far the best ("
Personally I often find Halfords by far offers the best value with local support and I think its a no brainer choice for a lot of people") and then compare two very specific (and arguably niche) bikes from two ranges of many bikes to support that - I'm just showing that I don't think your comparison is a clear indicator to support what you say. I certainly wouldn't say that Halfords is by far the best for value with support and that it is a no brainer choice.
At the bottom end of the market, one could argue that no bike is good value for money and that the components are bound to be inferior in order to hit the target price. Picking out specific and arbitrary examples from each shop and then making arbitrary judgements on the comparative quality (of what are arguably bottom-end products) by saying which you think looks more plasticky in a photo is not a reliable or definitive metric. The case for Halfords being the best and a no-brainer choice has not been proven 😉