Halfords targets UK over-50s as it seeks to fill

1,000 roles

Pearson asset library: AL1282511

Halfords is aiming to recruit 1,000 car technicians by targeting retirees and women as UK
businesses compete for skilled workers amid chronic labour shortages.

The bike and car parts seller set out plans to offer apprenticeships to over-50s, who quit
work during the pandemic, as well as attract more women, ex-offenders and disadvantaged
youth into the roles in the next 12 months as its services business grows.

Halfords has more than 600 garages and nearly 700 vans. “We’ve got to be more creative
about getting colleagues into technical roles”, chief executive Graham Stapleton said. “The
problem is that it is more difficult than it was a few years ago to recruit technicians. More
people have retired and the labour pool has shrunk.”

About 1mn people gave up employment since the start of the pandemic, with retirement the
most common reason quoted by those aged between 50 and 70, according to official
statistics.

Halfords plans to be a services-led company by 2023, according to Stapleton, who described

it as a “really pivotal point” as it forecast that more than half of its revenue will come from
services by next year. “There is undoubtedly a brighter future ahead for Halfords as a
service-provider-that-does-some-retail and not vice versa,” analysts at Peel Hunt said.

(Adapted from the article in the Financial Times by Arjun Neil Alim on 23rd November 2022
https://www.ft.com/content/744f534e-349f-49d3-a83f-6e780b352343)

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Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Business
This case study relates to the following topic areas of the course specification:
1.1.1 The dynamic nature of business
1.1.3 The role of business enterprise
2.1.1 Business growth
2.1.2 Changes in business aims and objectives
2.5.2 Effective recruitment

Recommended research activities:

1. Visit https://www.halfords.com/ and find out 5 goods they sell and 5 services they
offer.
2. What is an ‘apprenticeship’ and how does it work?
3. Research the article “tags” linked to the article on the FT site.

Exam style questions:

1. State one method of recruitment Halford can use to recruit new car technicians (1
mark)
2. Outline one benefit to Halfords of growing into a service-led business. (2 marks)
3. Analyse the impact a ‘chronic labour shortage’ will have on Halfords (6 marks)
4. Evaluate the impact hiring women, ex-offenders and disadvantaged youth will
have on Halfords. (12 marks)

Students aged 16-19, their teachers and schools around the world can read FT.com
for free. Sign up or check if you are registered at www.ft.com/schoolsarefree