I'm sure there used to be a Halfords Bike Hut store independant of the rest of Halfords in Cannock a few years ago, when Bike Hut were first starting.

Could be wrong though.

I hope the firm is basing this decision on better MI than the 3.3m who have started cycling to work since the credit crunch began. I think that number might be ever so slightly high.

"Premium", "exclusive" and credit crunch don't go so well together ...

Cycletowork is a success though

this story is perhaps "outdated?"

I have a good friend who manages a Halfords store in the South-East and he is currently laying off staff due to a massive decline in sales....

Where are they going to find enough spotty adolescents who know f**k all about bikes to staff these stores?

Hate to say it but ESHER SHORE is sooooo right.

They're opening 50 new stores yet they are firing loads of people out of there current stand alone stores???

This doesn't make sense.

They should actually put some more money and effort into their current ones first!

I disagree with some of these negative comments.

I work for Halfords as a manager. Some stores are having to cut their staff numbers, but only those stores which are sturggling to take enough money. Stores that are doing well are actually taking people on.

And as for dave_hill's comment regarding spotty adolescents, Halfords has over 450 stores. Just because you have had a poor experience in one store, doesn't mean they're all liike that. I have two other stores in my local area, and all, including mine, have Bikehut colleagues fully trained and passionate about biking.

Lesson one in how to force small independant bike stores out of business.... Sales at my shop have seen a downturn. Seeing Halfords do this is just a kick in the teeth.

Ah 50 more places to get inferior products and crap service. Nice.

Luap, I think the suggestion as to where are they going to find the snotty adolescents that know nothing about bikes is representative of the experience of Evans stores, which this article claims Halfords is aiming to compete with.

Certainly been my experience of Evans at their Kingston store, on numerous visits anyway, though their Wandsworth store was in the few visits I had there quite different.

"inferior products" is at best a generalisation - yes, sell low-end stuff, but at mid to high I really cannot see that any worse VFM than any other bike seller. At the very top end (which they don't sell), cycles are laughably over-priced considering the total lack of any sophisticated technology involved. A pedal cycle (the design of which has not changed fundamentally in my life time) at half the cost of a pretty decent and technically sophisticated m'cycle? Joke!

IUAP, i doubt that i happen to go into the same shop as dave hill but i have too had the same experiance as him, went in two halfords stores, one near where i live one near where i work about fifty miles apart, and had an 'expert' (spotty git who forgot to pull his jeans up) in both shops try to sell me something which they said was perfect for me, both were different bikes. can i suggest you go to your higher managers and advise them to put the money into training your staff, then again if you pay peanuts you know what you get....

i have a bikehut store local to me, its directly opposite an evans store, you can guess which is constantly empty and which is busy,

Amt27, I give up, which was it?

They don't know how to track the stock they have in the system nowadays as it is! Another 50 outlets to lose stock at, to be hopes they are expanding the Customer Service department as well. Although, that could be a bit of a oxymoron in itself. Halfords Customer Service...would be better to sort out the infrastructure of the existing network, before they start faffing about!

my friend who is laying off staff at his Halfords store in the S-East was actually one of the top earning stores during the summer...its been in the past 2 months that sales have collapsed

Does this mean I'll see even more people on my local trails struggling to understand why their £80 Shockwave isn't up to the job?

I recently got fantastic service at a halfords store when buying a new (budget-ish) car radio/cd/mp3 thing. I told the staff I only had 15 mins and in 3 mins I had paid for the stereo the very helpful manager found a slightly spotty youth to fit the thing. 4 mins later it was fitted - the lad might have been young but he really knew his stuff.

Dont diss spotty young people as sometimes they are the best. I even gave him a £20 tip (for the absolutey brilliant service and cheaper than expected stereo) which I had to try very hard to make hime take.

Some other feedback relating to above comments...

1. Some of the worst service I have received has been at the EBC shop in Edinburgh - sullen, posing teens who dont know the stock.

2. Also poor quality bike servicing from their servicing dept - I know other people with similar complaints.

3. Thoughts on price. £500 gets you a very nice 10kg road bike from GIANT with carbon components. Kind of an entry level but quality light weight commuter. £2500 gets you the cheapest Honda 125 commuter. Then £200 insurance, £15 road tax and £10 a week petrol. So maybe £3000+ in the first year. And the technology involved in the Honda really is mid century.

IUAP... I have 4 bikehuts around were I live and have yet to find a none spotty youth that can tell me anything worth knowing about bikes, I watched one of them putting a high rise stem upside down on a bike and rench the topcap on as hard as he could... then put the bike on display.

Perhaps they shoud train there current staff first, My last bike was ordered via the cycle scheme and I had no choice other than to get it from Helfrauds, it had to be rebuilt when I got it home.

I would rather pay a higher price and support my local independent shops than let Halfords take over, just a shame there will be all the parents buying the £80 bike from there for there kids that will keep them going.

Halfords will have the buying power to bulk buy huge amounts of stock and knock it out for cheap, so will be well priced, a little like why the Boardman bikes are so well priced and speced.

Recently bought a carrera blast for my son from halfords because thats the one he wanted(LOOKED GOOD). took it back for its first service and notified them the front brake was rubbish and the chain kept coming off the outside of the front big cog, could they have a look at it. went to pick it up next day, tickety boo the young un assured me it was in good fettle. wheeled it away and pulled front brake - guess what? exactly the same. complained to lad who went and got an 'expert' who said the caliper needed replacing but the mechanic had gone home and wouldnt be done till tomorrow. give them their dues one of the guys dropped it off on his way home the next day to save me another trip. next day son gets bike out, can you see whats gonna happen yet? went to change gear and the front derailleur cable hadnt been secured and came loose. that and another story with two of my daughters bikes has now made sure i never ever buy a bike from Halfords again. Lesson learned LBS every time now.

I'm afraid I would never consider buying a bike in Halfords. We have Cycle2Work administered by Halfords and did everything I could to get a bike from my local bike shop out of preference, something that I managed to do!

I would hope that the staff in Bike Hut etc would at least know the products that they are selling, I don't think this is always the case; to make it worse I think the product line is mixed at best.

In support I would say that Halfords generally aims at a different market to the 'regular' cyclist who seeks qualified opinion, good service and quality products. The Halfords model of cheaper bikes for all should at least encourage youngsters to get on a bike, and when they are hooked they will hopefully go to an LBS to get the bike they should always have had.

I think the big issue here was raised by MRadd who points out that competition from a large organisation like Halfords would put the LBS out of business; I dearly hope this doesn’t happen.

I think it's probably hit and miss as to wheather you get a good service from either store. Younger staff need perhaps part time jobs to keep them off the streets and knicking the bikes in the 1st place - only joking ... but where are we to get experienced staff if we don't give youngsters a chance in the first place ? I recently had a below par experience with Evans both online and in store. But the youngster in Halfords Uxbridge certainly knew his stuff !

Anyway , get on your bike and ride it.

I understand the feeling but the fact that Halfords have gotten to be know as a major force in the market is what takes people there. Beanz meanz Hienz type stuff. I recently did a loaded tour round the NE of scotland and lost a couple of spokes in the rear wheel as I rolled into Buckie I got good directions from a window cleaner to the LBS, I missed the last turn down a small lane. Knowing I was close I asked a mother with a child in a pram who said the closest bike shop was Halfords in Elgin. It turns out I was about 200 yards from The Buckie Bike shed which even has a price promise in place. Guess where that child will get their first bike?

The spotty adolesent skipping school smoking at the back of the play park gave me good directions to get there so I'm not getting on to them either.

BIKE HUT is now BIKE SHUT

that is regrettable..........but inevitable