Car parts and bike specialist Halfords has appointed a new operations director.

After 25 years service Kevin Thomas has been promoted to operations director, responsible for Halfords’ retail division and stores. He replaces Andy Torrance who exited the retailer last summer.

Thomas joined the retailer in 1995 and has held a number of senior roles in the company, latterly working as Halfords divisional manager of the western divison.

Halfords group chief executive David Wild said: “Halfords stores are pivotal to our continued success. They are a customer destination both for products and fitting services and are also key in the successful development of our multichannel proposition, as 87% of our online orders are collected in store.

“Kevin’s detailed knowledge of our business will help store teams operate to the highest levels as we progress and grow our business.”