Halfords has agreed to transfer the ownership of half of Cycle Republic stores to specialist retailer Pure Electric, saving 85 jobs.

The cycling and autocentre retailer will transfer 11 stores that were previously slated for closure to Pure Electric, with employment contracts of 85 staff in affected stores moving as part of the deal.

Cycle Republic stores in cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester will remain open as Pure Electric stores as a result of the transfer, with the retailer’s remaining 11 stores that are not included in the deal to be shuttered.

Halfords confirmed plans to shut down its Cycle Republic chain last month in order “to focus its resources and investment in the performance cycling market through the Tredz brand, which has a differentiated and specialist customer proposition.”

Pure Electric is a specialist electric mobility retailer which was launched in 2018.

Halfords chief executive Graham Stapleton said: “We’re pleased to have secured this agreement with Pure Electric. Our key priority throughout this process is to mitigate as many redundancies as possible. Not only does this agreement safeguard the employment of 85 of our Cycle Republic colleagues, but it is helping to secure the future of a number of retail sites across the country.

“We will continue to do everything that we can to redeploy other colleagues who are impacted by our proposal elsewhere within our business.”