Its come along way since these were a pair of old boots,just bought today mid 280s,spent a few pounds in there of late,so why not!

AGM Statement.

RNS Number : 1953M

Halfords Group PLC

11 August 2011

11 august 2011

Bill Duffy to Lead Halfords Autocentres

Halfords announces the appointment of Bill Duffy as CEO of Halfords Autocentres from 12 September 2011.

Bill has been Chief Operating Officer at Halfords Autocentres (previously Nationwide Autocentres) since February 2006. He has huge experience of the automotive market and garage-servicing sector from his thirty years in the industry and is well qualified to lead the operation through the next phase of its growth.

In his new role as Chief Executive, Bill will continue to grow Halfords Autocentres' market share by offering motorists dealership quality service at affordable prices. He will also oversee the expansion of the chain to 400 Autocentres over the next 5 years.

Duncan Wilkes will leave the business, following a handover to Bill, after five and a half years as CEO having decided to look for new challenges. Duncan led the MBO of the Nationwide business with Phoenix in 2006, managed the growth which followed, the sale to Halfords and its rebranding as Halfords Autocentres which was completed in March.

David Wild, Halfords Group Chief Executive commented:

"Duncan has been a fantastic colleague. I'd like to thank him for his immense contribution to the growth and development of our Autocentres business through its transition from a private company to Halfords ownership. We wish him well with his next projects.

"I'd like to welcome Bill to his new role. He and I have already been working closely together in his capacity as COO. He knows the business inside out and has the ideal experience and leadership qualities to drive the next phase of the growth strategy."

280.2 touched earlier - yield @7.68%

New lows today 274.3 atm. yield 8%.

269.1 atm - yield 8.09%

Strong today - maybe perceived as 'safe'. yield 7.17% at current levels.

Trading statement tomorrow and struggling today !

Trading Statement.

Q2 HIGHLIGHTS

Cycling LFL sales up 5.7%

Wefit penetration of bulbs, wiper blades and batteries (3Bs) increases to 22.1% compared to 20.2% in Q2 last year

Online sales penetration 8.4%

Autocentre sales growth of +10.6% with LFLs +3.1%

Great results.

I assume divi mid dec '11? Not seen how much yet though.

Interims on 10th November(provisional) and ex dividend 21st December. 8p last year.

Half Yearly Report.

Highlights

Underlying* Group revenue down 0.1%

As predicted, Retail gross margin declined in our drive to maximise cash returns

Cycling sales continued to outperform, boosted by the launch of the new Carrera range in July and strong sales of accessories

In the Car Maintenance category, sales of the Halfords range of wefit services were particularly strong

Full-year management guidance on Retail gross margin and operating costs remains unchanged

Autocentres like-for-like revenues up 2.7%, with a gross margin improvement of 36 basis points

Material cash generation and a well-funded balance sheet facilitate both the share buyback programme and maintenance of a strong dividend

UBS have a sell 270 - ex dividend 21st December 8p.

These have been on my radar for years - current yield @6.89 (ex dividend 21st December 8p) however, I think it could be time to consider a short - any views?

4 week low hit today @308.50 ex dividend on the 21st 8p (yield currently) 7.1%

Ex dividend Tomorrow 8p (7.4%).

Interim Management Statement.

Third-Quarter FY12 Interim Management Statement

An Encouraging Underlying Performance

Halfords Group plc, the UK's leading retailer of automotive and leisure products and leading independent operator in garage servicing and auto repair, today updates the market on its trading performance for the 13 and 39-week periods to 30 December 2011:


13 Weeks 39 Weeks
YOY change YOY change
----------------------------- ----------- -----------

TOTAL REVENUE
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Halfords Group -2.1% -1.1%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
UK/ROI Retail -4.4% -2.3%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Halfords Autocentres +18.7% +12.0%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------

LIKE-FOR-LIKE (LFL) REVENUE
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Total UK/ROI Retail -4.8% -2.9%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Car Maintenance -12.8% -7.0%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Car Enhancement -12.8% -10.8%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Leisure +9.7% +5.6%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------
Halfords Autocentres +10.9% +5.3%
----------------------------- ----------- -----------

Excellent bullish engulfing candle.

Strong today.

Barclays upgrades to Overweight TP 450.00p