Head of Finance Anita Harris departs Halfords to start a new chapter at discount retailer The Works

Anita Harris has left motoring and cycling products and services specialist, Halfords, where she held the position of Head of Finance, to join discount retailer The Works.

Based in the United Kingdom, The Works sells books, art and craft materials, gifts, toys, games and stationery. It had more than 500 stores across the UK and Ireland as of January.

In a LinkedIn post, Harris said: “After five incredible years at Halfords, it’s time to say (a very emotional) goodbye and start a new chapter at The Works. It’s been an incredible journey and one I’m so very grateful for. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside so many talented and supportive people and take away some amazing friendships and memories for life.”

It’s our 40th birthday! 🎉
Keep watching to see what 40 years of fun looks like!
Thank you to all our amazing customers for your ongoing support.
Here’s to another amazing 40 years!
Join us in store this weekend for 80s themed fun and 40% off mega deals!#works40 pic.twitter.com/OnzcT0IInM

— The Works (@TheWorksStores) September 3, 2021

She added: “A huge thank you to everyone who’s been a part of my journey at Halfords. There are so many people I’d love to thank but quite frankly the list would be too long. However, a big shout out to my fantastic team.”

“Tom Durno, Toni Houston, Stefan Wilkes and to the rest of the retail finance team, I am so incredibly proud of what we have achieved together over the last year and excited to see what the future holds for you all. So a final goodbye and good luck to all my friends at Halfords and to my future colleagues at The Works, here I come.”

Halfords

Halfords has extended its use of Aptos software to support its customer engagement and store operations strategies. The retailer is leveraging upgraded versions of the firm’s PoS, CRM and Sales Audit applications.

“We view the customer journey in a very holistic way,” says Adam Gerrard, Chief Data & Information Officer at Halfords. “With the majority of people in the UK living in close proximity to a Halfords location, we leverage our store network to connect on a deeper level with customers through unrivalled expertise and services and an unbeatable range of products.”

“We recognise the importance of taking a digital-first approach.” Gerrard adds, “We have made it easier than ever for people to find us online, and we’ve invested in high performance websites. The greatest benefit is then linking up digital and store experiences in a way that is completely seamless for the customer.”

“For example, a customer browsing online for a product can quickly and easily arrange for Click and Collect at their local store. We view Aptos as an omnichannel technology specialist, and we are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with this firm.”

Halfords runs Aptos CRM, integrated with its PoS in its retail stores, which feeds into a group wide 360-degree view of customers. Aptos CRM plays a major part in its loyalty programme, the Halfords Motoring Club, which has over four million members.