Halfords made the decision to expand their business into the world of Commercial Fleet and acquired McConechy’s Tyres on 7th November 2019 as their first step. McConechy’s had a total of 60 sites, Halfords rebranded the Retail sites as Halfords Autocentres and the Commercial Sites remained under the Commercial umbrella.

This was so successful that on 19^th March 2021 they acquired Universal Tyres to extend their commercial coverage.  Universal had 20 depots, 5 of which were rebranded as Halfords Autocentres and the remaining 15 were designated as Commercial and joined the Halfords CFS business.

On 5^th October 2022 Halfords announced the acquisition of Lodge Tyres, the largest commercial expansion with over 50 Depots.

We also acquired APT Tyre Distributors in 2022 and Capital Tyres in 2024 to enhance our service offer. These businesses together made Halfords CFS the largest Commercial Fleet and Tyre service provider in the UK.

McConechy’s was established in Ayrshire in 1957 by Hector McConechy and he started with one garage in Ayr.

The business gradually expanded throughout Scotland and the North of England until it was acquired by Halfords on 7th November 2019. By then it had a total of 60 sites and 330 employees. It had Retail garages as well as Commercial Centres. After the acquisition by Halfords the business was divided with the Retail sites being rebranded as Halfords Autocentres and Commercial depots being branded as Halfords CFS.

The McConechy’s commercial business currently has 19 Depots. They currently run over 130 Breakdown Vehicles providing a 24-hour 365 days tyre fitting, roadside breakdown and fleet management service.

The Commercial business was so successful that on 19th March 2021 Halfords acquired Universal Tyres to increase the geographical coverage.

Universal Tyres was founded in 1923 by Stanley Wright and was run as a family business.

By 2021 Universal had 20 Depots and 89 commercial vans in operation as well as a Warehouse and Head Office.

To consolidate the Commercial business, the Retail sites were rebranded into Halfords Autocentres and 15 sites were designated as Commercial Depots, and still cover the South and East Coast of the UK. They currently operate 123 Breakdown Vehicles and Technicians provide a year round 24/7 service to customers.

As well as Car, Van and Truck they also have a thriving Earthmover customer base.

On 5th October Lodge Tyre joined Halfords CFS and hugely enhanced our national coverage and service offer.

Lodge Tyre began way back in 1935 when it was founded in Birmingham by George Edmund Lodge. It ran as a family business right through the generations and indeed this culture runs through the employees as they have had generations of families work there.

Lodge covers the Midlands, East Anglia, North Wales and the North West.

They have over 50 centres, over 400 colleagues and 280 Breakdown Vehicles.

ULM was established in September 2017 when three entities came together to create a control breakdown centre.  ULM manage tyre breakdowns for Universal, Lodge and McConechys. Not long after Lodge purchased Kingsway so they also became part of the group.

Currently ULM manage around 14,000 breakdowns a month and have increased the team by 25% to assist with this additional business which is growing day by day. They also manage a key manufacturer’s fleet breakdowns.

Following the acquisition by Halfords they now have access to additional support (National Tyres breakdown centre) for our incidents. They are able to share best practices and learn from each other the best way forward.

Although Fit4Fleet is a fully managed fleet support business we handle the operational side only within our Halfords Commercial Fleet Services breakdown centre.

Established in 2001, Fit4Fleet operates one of the largest networks of independent tyre dealers in the UK. There are over 1,100 centres and more than 2,000 fully equipped mobile tyre fitting vans, available to suit the needs of any company vehicle driver.

Our tyre replacement service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This gives our customers peace of mind that at any time of the day or night, we are here to help with their tyre requirements.

Whether you need tyres for cars, vans, 4X4’s or HGV’s, Fit4Fleet have it covered.