Mayor declares city garage open - Carlisle -
December 2010
The Mayor of Carlisle, Councillor Mary Styth, officially opened the latest business to establish itself in Carlisle today.
Cllr Styth visited the new Halfords Autocentre garage on St Nicholas Gate this morning to meet employees and senior company representatives, learn more about the company’s investment in Carlisle and cut the ceremonial ribbon to declare the garage officially open.
The garage is the latest in a series of new Halfords Autocentres to be opened by the Halfords group, and is the first such site to open in Carlisle. It is located adjacent to the existing Halfords retail store in the city.
Five jobs have been created by the new venture, while an apprentice is set to join the company - and the UK’s largest motor technician apprenticeship programme - in the New Year. The five are: Rob Hope (manager), David Dickinson (senior technician), Martin Ostridge (technician) and Chris Hodgson, all from Carlisle, and Shane Hind (technician) from Haltwhistle.
In addition to the six-figure investment in acquiring, equipping and staffing the Autocentre, the company is set to spend a further £15,000 per month with local suppliers, further boosting the region’s economy.
Cllr Mary Styth commented: “It gives me great pleasure to open this Halfords Autocentre today. The arrival of the company in Carlisle is good news for motorists and the local community. Five jobs have been created and an apprentice will join them in the New Year, which is absolutely wonderful.
“The local supply chain is also set to benefit from the company’s investment as the company is set to spend around £15,000 each month with suppliers and partners from the Cumbria region. The company is also setting up employee discount schemes with local businesses, helping the community to reduce the cost of motoring.”
Manager Rob Hope said: “On behalf of my team, I’d like to thank the Mayor for her gracious visit this morning and for her interest in our business. It was a boost to hear how enthusiastic she is about Halfords Autocentre’s arrival in Carlisle and her appreciation for the investment made and the jobs created.
“My team and I are all local lads we are very proud to be serving our neighbours in the city. Our new garage is equipped with the very latest technology and tools, which means we can service all makes and models of car, old and new and we can help lower the cost of motoring by providing main dealer quality at more affordable prices. We’re also committed to giving a friendly and efficient service with expertise and experience that customers can trust.
“We look forward to serving our new customers in the coming weeks.”
Halfords Autocentre is the new name for Nationwide Autocentre, the national car service, repair and MOT chain acquired by Halfords in February this year. Carlisle is one of a handful of new sites to open with the distinctive orange branding since September, and the company plans to open a further dozen in the first few months of 2011. The network will be 400 strong within five years, creating 1,000 new jobs.