Halfords share price up on FTSE 250 ahead of interim results

Shares in Halfords were up on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading ahead of the car parts retailer's interim results, due tomorrow.

In October the group gave an update which saw cost cutting offset falling same-store sales. In addition the performance of its Autocentres, acquired this year, was also somewhat below expectations.

The update also showed sales of car entertainment and navigation devices at Halfords to be very cyclical.

Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said ahead of the statement, "Guidance for pre-tax profit of between £67m to £69m has already been provided by management - a £68m outcome would represent a year-on-year gain of approximately 11%. Financing arrangements and a progressive dividend policy could prove features. Prior to the results, market consensus opinion currently denotes a strong hold, down from a buy before October's update."

By 16:20 shares in Halfords were up 1.10 per cent on the FTSE 250 to 413.00 pence per share.