Halfords Regulatory News (HFD)

HALFORDS ENTERS SOFTWARE MARKET WITH LAUNCH OF AVAYLER

13th July 2021 - Halfords, the UK's leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services, has entered the B2B software market with the launch of Avayler: a new business, offering Halfords' proprietary software to streamline service delivery for companies that operate in multiple locations.

Avayler's first customer is today announced as American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD), one of the largest independent suppliers of tyres to the replacement tyre market in North America and owner of leading online tyre retailer Tirebuyer.com. Avayler's platform will underpin ATD's operations, supplying tyres to 80,000 garages across the US. ATD will also be the exclusive provider of the Avayler Mobile platform to the North American automotive market.

The software was developed to manage Halfords' own garages, mobile vans and retail stores, and brings together systems and services developed inhouse by Halfords.

Avayler brings benefits for both customers and companies alike. The Avayler Mobile product uses algorithms to calculate the available time slots for the customer according to where the nearest van is located and the parts available. It then uses dynamic pricing to value those slots accurately. The customer can track where the van is and receive notifications and updates while the colleague is en route.

The platform ensures companies can calculate the cheapest and quickest routes to their customer; maximise colleague productivity on the job; give details of traffic on the road; and provide the colleague with detailed checklists to ensure a safe and consistent service is provided.

The platform delivers a vastly superior customer experience, with no direct equivalent on the market today. Halfords has been using the platform for 3 years and today it manages over 70,000 services per week. Halfords Mobile Expert van operation, which has a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating, has seen an 70% increase in job productivity and more than 200% increase in utilisation since it started using the platform, demonstrating the potential benefits to businesses and end-user customer satisfaction.

Avayler will be based in the UK but will serve customers internationally. The company is on track to expand its workforce to more than 45 people over the next 2 years, including 30 software engineers and will continue to develop its IP as an omni-channel service management platform.

Graham Stapleton, CEO of Halfords, said: "We're proud to be launching Avayler today with ATD as our first client. This is an historic moment for Halfords and another major milestone in our transition to become a market leading motoring services focused business. The Avayler platform has enabled us to optimise our motoring services operations across our stores, garages and mobile vans, reducing operating costs, growing profits and delivering a better customer experience. We're very excited about the opportunities this platform will create for Halfords in the UK and internationally."

Stuart Schuette, president and CEO for ATD, said: "At ATD, we're committed to helping our customers thrive in an evolving industry. We continuously search around the world to bring new technology and capabilities that complement our customers' businesses." "As the trend toward mobile tire installation continues to grow, ATD is looking forward to accelerating access to best-in-class technology for our customers that are interested in entering the mobile tire installation business. We're excited to partner with Avayler to bring this offering to our tire retailers."

Ends

For more information contact

Steve Marinker - +44 (0)7779 031 936

steve.marinker@powerscourt-group.com

Harold Amoo - +44 (0)7864 607 220

harold.amoo@powerscourt-group.com

About Halfords

Halfords is the UK's leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services. Customers shop at 404 Halfords stores, 3 Performance Cycling stores (trading as Tredz and Giant), 374 garages (trading as Halfords Autocentres, McConechy's and Universal), 185 commercial vans (McConechy's and Universal) and 143 mobile service vans (trading as Halfords Mobile Expert and Tyres on the Drive). Customers can also shop at halfords.com and tredz.co.uk for pick up at their local store or direct home delivery, as well as booking garage services online at halfords.com.

About Avayler

Avayler is the only customer-centric, omni-channel field service management solution on the market. Developed by Halfords to deliver seamless customer journeys and an unrivalled customer experience, Avayler is a tried and tested solution that is already driving customer excellence in the field. With a static and mobile product offering, Avayler provides businesses with an end-to-end field service solution no matter wherever they offer services, in store, at garages, workshops, clinics, pop-up sites, in the driveway or across the threshold.

About American Tire Distributors

American Tire Distributors is one of the largest independent suppliers of tires to the replacement tire market. It operates more than 130 distribution centers, including 24 distribution centers in Canada, serving approximately 80,000 customers across the U.S. and Canada. The company offers an unsurpassed breadth and depth of inventory, frequent delivery and value-added services to tire and automotive service customers. American Tire Distributors employs approximately 5,000 associates across its distribution center network, including approximately 600 associates in Canada. In 2021, the company was recognized as one of Forbes' 2021 America's Best Mid-Sized Employers and received a Gold Stevie(R) Award in the Transportation Company of the Year category of the American Business Awards(R), in addition to a Bronze Stevie(R) Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year