Gross margins during the half-year were lower, said Halfords because of the "sales mix."
Halfords sells 25-30 percent of Britain’s bicycles and bike-related P&A, and sells 19 percent of the auto parts market.
The City reacted well to the sales uplift news, with shares rising to 303p in early trading, a new high.
Analysts believe the company, floated on 3rd June, will post full-year pretax profits of £79m.
