HALFORDS at the Greyhound Retail Park in Chester is one of 53 of the company's retail stores which are set to fully reopen.

It comes as bosses say they have seen a surge in bike sales during the coronavirus lockdown and expect to see a similar trend with motoring products as more people return to using their vehicles.

The stores spread across the UK will allow a limited number of shoppers through its doors with several new rules in place.

Halfords say there is no timetable in place for reopening the stores, adding that the pace will be dictated by its confidence that it can keep staff and customers safe.

The company's stores have been allowed to remain open throughout the pandemic and subsequent lockdown as it is classed as an "essential" business.

However, it chose to close its sites at the end of March and operate an employee-only model where customers could make purchases from outside or online, meaning 335 of Halfords' 446 retail stores – including Chester – have been run this way since lockdown.

The Great Boughton and Ellesmere Port stores remain temporarily closed.

Halfords chief executive Graham Stapleton said: "We are pleased to be in a position to start letting our customers back into our stores.

"However, there is no timetable or deadline in place for doing so and the pace will instead be dictated entirely by the company's confidence that it can keep its colleagues and customers safe."

New rules include reduced customers, queuing marshals, safety notices and floor markings, sneeze screen visors for staff and instructions to customers not to handle or try on products.

Mr Stapleton added: "There has been a big surge in demand for our bike products and services as people have taken to cycling during the lockdown, both for commuting and for fun.

"We are also anticipating a similar level of demand for our motoring products and services in the coming days, as people begin to use vehicles again that in some cases will have been off the road for many weeks."

In addition to its retail stores, Halfords currently has 346 of its 373 garages and 77 vans operating under a contactless model.