Halfords Group plc is a British retailer of car parts, car enhancement, camping and touring equipment and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They also provide MOT test (this is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom), service and repairs in the United Kingdom, through Halfords Autocentre. Halfords Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

A similar retail company also called Halfords exists in the Netherlands and Belgium. This only has historical ties to the British Halfords Group (it was formed by Halfords, then sold).

The company was founded by Frederick Rushbrooke in Birmingham in 1892 as a wholesale ironmongery. In 1902, Rushbrooke moved to a store on Halford Street in Leicester, and the company was named after this street, and started selling cycling goods. It opened its 200th store in 1931, and purchased the Birmingham Bicycle Company in 1945. In 1968, it opened its 300th store.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org