He's never going to get an Olympic medal and he's probably way too intelligent to design a crop circle roundabout, but he may just do more for cycling in this country than Dave Brailsford and Jane Tomlinson put together. Mr. Davies is the new boss of Halfords, and he's realised that the key to making the bike side work is..........the staff.
Without addressing years of underinvestment, the company would suffer further, he said. "Stores are a bit tired so we really need to invest in them. We are also keen to get in knowledgeable people." Staff will undertake a three-month course on joining the company, and will earn pay rises by completing further training, eventually leading to the position of store "guru".
Around £50m will be invested in store refurbishments, with 150 stores to be revamped by 2016, and a further £50m will go on training and improving the company's website and supply chain.
Staff turnover at the stores has been consistently high: around 20% of new workers leave within three months. Davies wants to halve that number.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/23/halfords-three-year-turnaround-cycling?INTCMP=SRCH
Now think about it. The Halfords product range is pretty good in parts - the bikes are decent (although not quite as decent as Decathlon), but the bits and bobs like lights, inner tubes, tyres and pumps are pretty poor. I think if you buy a Boardman and take it to a proper bikeshop to get it put together, you've got yourself a bargain, but if you could pick that Boardman up from Halfords knowing that it was put together by a properly trained Halfords 'guru' then you'd be well chuffed. And if you could buy some decent lights and a nice waterproof jacket for not much money at the same time you'd be chuffed to the max.
But it's not you lot that I worry about. I worry about the kids going in for their first bike and getting an item with loose spokes, pedals that creak, brakes that don't stop you and back-to-fron forks (and if you doubt me, try doing Dr. Bike sessions with minty-fresh Halfords bikes). I think that wrestling with a Halfords innertube made from thick sticky rubber might persuade you to take the school bus. I reckon that riding a bike with brakes that have to be pulled back to the bars before they have any effect ('all brake cables stretch' says the young man at Halfords in Brighton) is probably a short term thing.
If cycling is going to have a future in this country then we need bike shops on the high street. If Halfords, with their vast presence, turn themselves in to a decent bike shop we've got more than half a chance. I reckon we should all wish Mr. Davies well
Without addressing years of underinvestment, the company would suffer further, he said. "Stores are a bit tired so we really need to invest in them. We are also keen to get in knowledgeable people." Staff will undertake a three-month course on joining the company, and will earn pay rises by completing further training, eventually leading to the position of store "guru".
Around £50m will be invested in store refurbishments, with 150 stores to be revamped by 2016, and a further £50m will go on training and improving the company's website and supply chain.
Staff turnover at the stores has been consistently high: around 20% of new workers leave within three months. Davies wants to halve that number.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/23/halfords-three-year-turnaround-cycling?INTCMP=SRCH
Now think about it. The Halfords product range is pretty good in parts - the bikes are decent (although not quite as decent as Decathlon), but the bits and bobs like lights, inner tubes, tyres and pumps are pretty poor. I think if you buy a Boardman and take it to a proper bikeshop to get it put together, you've got yourself a bargain, but if you could pick that Boardman up from Halfords knowing that it was put together by a properly trained Halfords 'guru' then you'd be well chuffed. And if you could buy some decent lights and a nice waterproof jacket for not much money at the same time you'd be chuffed to the max.
But it's not you lot that I worry about. I worry about the kids going in for their first bike and getting an item with loose spokes, pedals that creak, brakes that don't stop you and back-to-fron forks (and if you doubt me, try doing Dr. Bike sessions with minty-fresh Halfords bikes). I think that wrestling with a Halfords innertube made from thick sticky rubber might persuade you to take the school bus. I reckon that riding a bike with brakes that have to be pulled back to the bars before they have any effect ('all brake cables stretch' says the young man at Halfords in Brighton) is probably a short term thing.
If cycling is going to have a future in this country then we need bike shops on the high street. If Halfords, with their vast presence, turn themselves in to a decent bike shop we've got more than half a chance. I reckon we should all wish Mr. Davies well
