Halfords has poached Pets at Home business development director Rob Swyer, who follows his former boss Matt Davies to the car parts and bikes retailer.

Swyer takes up his role on April 3, replacing Kevin Thomas who has been operations director with responsibility for retail since March 2012.

Halfords said it expects to benefit from Swyer’s experience of leading service-based companies. Swyer’s move comes after Matt Davies left his chief executive position at Pets at Home to take the helm at Halfords in October, as revealed by Retail-Week.com.

Swyer has previously also worked at Asda, where we held a number of senior roles across a 10-year period working his way up to retail development director. He also spent nine years at Mars.

Davies said: “Rob brings with him a wealth of experience from leading retail companies, coupled with a clear track record of implementing service-based retail offers that deliver great experiences for customers.

“I look forward to working with him on the next stage of Halfords’ journey and particularly the expert help and service we provide instore.

“I would like to thank Kevin for everything he has done for Halfords in his 18 years with us. He has played an invaluable role in expanding and enhancing our Retail division and stores.”