Halfords on track despite sales drop

Car parts and bicycles chain Halfords today said it remained on track to meet profit targets, despite a further slowdown in sales in recent weeks.

The group reported pre-tax profits of £49.1m (€58m) for the 26 weeks to September 26, an increase of 3.2% on a year earlier after efforts to boost margins offset a 1.1% decrease in like-for-like sales over the period.