The conversion is taking place right now, amid no fanfare. Store staff no longer answer the phone as ‘Bikehut’ but as ‘Halfords’.
The Havant branch of Bikehut was, in effect, a corporate-owned IBD and the conversion into a standard Halfords is a significant move by the CVC-owned retail chain.
Or is it?
Halfords PR director Barbara Cadd says the conversion is not an indication of national changes.
"The Havant store was a tester store. We’re changing the format of this particular store as part of the ongoing testing of retail formats."
