Halfords has reached a major milestone in the expansion of its car servicing and repair business with the opening of its 250th Halfords Autocentre in Sheffield.

Halfords moved into the UK’s £9 billion auto aftercare market through the acquisition of Nationwide Autocentres in February 2010.

Nationwide’s 223 locations were fully rebranded as Halfords Autocentres in March 2011.

The opening of the 250th Halfords Autocentre at Sheffield Crystal Peaks reaffirms the company’s belief that there is a growth opportunity for between 400 and 600 sites across the UK.

In addition to opening new centres, Halfords Autocentres is also growing sales.

Sales in the last quarter grew 18.7% year-on-year.

David Wild, group CEO of Halfords, said: “Our Autocentres are becoming a familiar landmark and the opening of the 250th centre is an important milestone in our plans to continue growing the Autocentre brand.

“At a difficult time for motorists, we are attracting new customers by offering great value and customer service.

"We are a trusted brand that motorists can rely on to look after their cars and help reduce the cost of driving.

"Customers trust us to deliver expertise, good service and value, and we are able to provide this consistently and transparently across the whole country.

"There is a strong demand from motorists for a high quality national network of garages and we are well placed to capture increasing market share.”