Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Halfords brake on perk return
BIG PROFIT FIRM KEEPING VIRUS RELIEF
HALFORDS is hanging onto a Covid tax break despite expecting to double annual profits to £100million.
The bike and car parts store has been allowed to stay open in lockdowns along with other essential outlets such as supermarkets.
But unlike most big grocers, the firm has not repaid business rates relief Chancellor Rishi Sunak set up to help firms left reeling by the crisis.
Halfords yesterday announced it was repaying in full £10.7m of taxpayers’ money it received for furloughing staff until August.
But the firm, which paid a business rates bill of £36m the previous year, remained tight-lipped about handing back the 2020 rates relief perk.
Halfords previously said the issue was “under review” and a spokesperson said the situation had not changed. It came as the company said it expected £90m and £100m profit for the year to April, up from £52.6million the year before.
It said in a statement: “The expected profit range remains quite broad as trading patterns continue to be volatile, with sales ahead of Easter particularly difficult to predict whilst the UK remains in lockdown.”
Halfords’ group sales rose 6.2% in the past seven weeks. Cycling sales leapt 43% despite some ongoing headaches getting supplies.
And while motoring sales fell 14%, the firm said the number of car journeys being taken remains 40% below prepandemic levels.
Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, said:” Business rates relief was intended for struggling firms and Halfords doesn’t fall into that category.”
GIBRALTAR OPEN
STEPHEN HENDRY insists it is a hunger for the buzz of competition that has driven him back to snooker.
The 52-year-old seven-time world champion, having emerged from retirement. plays his first tour match for almost nine years this evening against good friend Matt Selt (below).
For the final years of his illustrious career, the Scot (above) chased, in vain, the ‘King Hendry The Eighth’ headlines at the Crucible. This time around the goals are more modest.
Having accepted a wild-card from snooker supremo Barry Hearn back in early September, a series of false starts means it has taken six months for the big day to arrive.
But Hendry hopes the Gibraltar
Open, in a temporary home in Milton Keynes, will be perfect preparation for World Championship qualifiers and a possible path to the Crucible.
He said: “I want to enjoy playing snooker again, it is all I know. My game is all about scoring heavily so if I can keep doing that then it will be nice.
“Maybe if I cause a couple of upsets that would be fun. And also to play well on a match table.
“I miss the atmosphere. I have been out of it a long time but I don’t think I will ever stop missing that buzz of walking out there into the arena.”
And on the Snooker Scene podcast he added: “When I am there for the
BBC before a match, I still want a cue in my hand and that is one of the reasons I accepted the wild-card.
“The goal is to get back to the Crucible.
“Obviously, things are different at the moment with no fans. But if it is possible to get out there at the Crucible and play a match against one of the best players in a full arena again, to experience that once more it would have been worth coming back.”
Hendry, though, will not have to worry about running into Ronnie O’sullivan or John Higgins should he progress this week.
The pair both withdrew from the Gibraltar Open yesterday after their Players’ Championship exertions.
John Astley replaces the Rocket and will now play Ali Carter, while Hamin Hussain comes in for Higgins and will face Jamie Wilson.