Halfords

A Royal Name  

Halfords, the well-known retailer of motoring and cycling products and services, takes its name from Leicester’s Halford Street. The street commemorates Sir Henry Halford (1766 – 1844) from Wistow in south Leicestershire, who physician extraordinary to King George III , then physician in ordinary to his three successors, George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria.  

Cycle race at Abbey Park.

Leicester – A Cycle Hub 

Leicester became a focus for bicycle manufacture and for promoting cycling as a recreational pastime and a sport. Cycling was big business. Races around Abbey Park and Victoria Park became a popular sport.   For some years, Henry Curry (Currys) also sold bicycles in Halford Street from a shop near to where the Curve theatre now stands, and Walter Sturgess (Sturgess Group) was selling his unique ‘recumbent bicycle’ from his shop in Cranmer Street, off the Narborough Road. (101)  

Legacy 

Halfords expanded rapidly, with 200 stores by 1931 and 300 stores by 1968. It has changed ownership many times throughout the years. Between 2007 and 2010 they expanded into Central Europe before withdrawing from the market. Through Halfords Autocentre, they provide vehicle servicing, MOT, maintenance and repairs in the United Kingdom. By 2024, the chain was operating over 400 stores and more than 250 Halfords Autocentres across the UK and Ireland, providing car repairs and servicing.