Halfords Group plc. - Major infrastructure upgrade
Over 1750 sites all across the UK and Europe
Halfords Group PLC - Who they are
Halfords Group PLC is the UK’s market-leading motoring and cycling specialist, operating a family of businesses that cover retail, mobile services and workshop repair: Halfords Retail (high-street and online), Halfords Autocentres, Halfords Mobile Expert (HME), National Tyres and the Lodge Tyres estate. Between them these brands serve millions of motorists and cyclists every year — from sales and advice in store, to tyre fitting and mobile repairs at your door or in a workshop. The Group’s scale means their technology must be consistent, resilient and easy to manage across thousands of locations.
Because Halfords serves everyday drivers and fleets alike, their network, Wi-Fi and on-site systems aren’t a nice-to-have — they’re the backbone of customer service. Clear, fast connectivity keeps tills, diagnostics kiosks, mobile technicians and point-of-sale systems working; it protects revenue and delivers the experience customers expect. For an organisation of this size, a single standard and reliable delivery process is what turns individual stores into a dependable national service.
National Tyres - What we delivered
For National Tyres we delivered full infrastructure renewals across their estate: where sites needed it we carried out complete re-cabling, installed new network cabinets with dedicated power feeds, replaced network switches and upgraded wireless access points. The work was always planned around store opening hours so that retail and workshop operations stayed live — meaning less disruption to the business and a faster route back to full trading each day.
The practical result for National Tyres was a unified, auditable standard across sites: consistent cabinet layouts, tested cabling, documented handovers and verified Wi-Fi coverage. That standardisation reduces truck rolls, cuts time spent troubleshooting, and makes commissioning new sites predictable — so you spend less on emergency fixes and more on running the business.
Halfords Mobile Expert (HME) — what we delivered
HME depends on mobility: technicians who work on vehicles at customers’ homes or workplaces. For HME we performed complete site installs and “new kit” rollouts — fully recabled where required, new cabinets and wall-mounted equipment, Juniper/Mist AP deployments, LTE/4G links where a resilient WAN was needed, and the sign-off of PCs, printers and diagnostic kit. Every deployment finished with test evidence and engineer handovers so each site could go live with confidence.
That meant the mobile teams could rely on consistent network performance whether they were booking jobs, accepting payments, or using online diagnostic tools. By providing a repeatable, certified installation process we reduced the risk of field failures and ensured technicians could focus on repair work rather than wrestling with connectivity. The upshot: fewer cancelled visits, faster job cycles and happier customers.
Halfords Retail — what we delivered
Retail fit-outs and relocations are high-pressure projects: short timelines, tight design constraints and a hard deadline — the store must open on time. For Halfords Retail we executed end-to-end works: structured cabling first fix and second fix, mounting and commissioning APs, installing cabinets and on-site switches and completing final testing and handover. We worked to the RAMS, coordinated with builders and ensured system readiness for opening day.
From a the on site teams point of view that means Wi-Fi that works in the shop floor, reliable POS and inventory systems, and staff devices that stay connected during busy periods. For the business it means predictable stores that open on time with networks that are low-maintenance and easy to support — fewer outages, clearer fault logs and a known cost of ownership.
Halfords Autocentres — what we delivered
Autocentres present workshop-grade requirements: robust connectivity across service bays, reliable back-office links for diagnostics and parts ordering, and in some cases separate VLANs for workshop tools and staff devices. We included Autocentres in the Phase-2 rollout, delivering cabling, cabinet work and switch upgrades designed to withstand workshop conditions and to keep the workshop operating throughout the day.
We also addressed resilience and safety: appropriate power provisioning for cabinets, tidy and secure cable containment to avoid trip or fire hazards, and documented handover packs so centre managers and support teams had the information they needed. The outcome is smoother workshop operations, less downtime for customers, and easier network management for regional teams.
Lodge Tyres — what we delivered
When Lodge Tyres became part of the Halfords family we moved them onto a single Group standard. For Lodge sites we carried out full installations — complete recabling, new cabinet installations, AP replacements and the physical work needed to modernise legacy sites. Work was delivered in repeatable work packs with photographic evidence, test results and a clear handover. When defects appeared we tracked them through fault logs and closed them with corrective actions on site.
We also followed the installation guidance required for Juniper/Mist hardware and provided compliance documentation and RAMS so that every site met the Group’s safety and technical standards. The practical upshot: Lodge Tyres sites now plug into the same management and monitoring systems as the rest of the Group, which means fewer bespoke support tickets and a single set of operating procedures across brands.
In closing - A programme built to operate
Across National Tyres, HME, Halfords Retail, Autocentres and Lodge Tyres we didn’t just install kit — we delivered an end-to-end infrastructure programme: survey, design, safe on-site delivery, test evidence, formal handover and operational closeout (including invoicing and competency compliance). That disciplined approach — standardised cabinets, proven AP placements, switch refreshes and documented test results — turns thousands of individual sites into a single, manageable fleet.
The result for the Halfords Group is simple: fewer surprises, faster repair times, predictable operating costs and a network Halfords can depend on. Ready to upgrade your network or start a new installation project? Lets talk!