Avayler; Halfords: Halfords receives investment in its Avayler software business as Bridgestone takes a 5% stake

• $3 million investment values the fast-growing Avayler business, launched a little over two years ago, at $60.5 million
• Bridgestone to roll-out Avayler technology to enhance its mobility solutions and applications for drivers, fleet managers, and vehicle owners
• Commercial Agreement will allow Bridgestone to leverage Avayler's products in retail stores and mobile applications

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Halfords Group plc, the UK's largest provider of Motoring and Cycling products and services, announced from The SEMA Show 2023, that Bridgestone, a leading global mobility company, has acquired a 5% stake in its automotive Software as a service (SaaS) business, Avayler, valuing the business that was launched in July 2021, at over $60m. In addition, the Commercial Agreement will allow Bridgestone to leverage Avayler's products in retail stores and mobile applications.

The Avayler SaaS solution was developed in-house by Halfords to manage automotive services across its expansive garage network and increasing number of mobile vans. It offers a new, completely integrated, ground-breaking solution that allows automotive companies operating in multiple locations to develop competitive edge by delivering a vastly superior customer experience.

The Avayler platform has no direct equivalent on the market today. As well as streamlining customer bookings - online, over the phone, and in-store - and job execution inside the garage, its mobile capability uses algorithms to instantly calculate the available customer time slots according to the nearest van location and parts availability.

The Avayler platform uses dynamic pricing to value those slots accurately. Automotive service providers can calculate the cheapest and quickest routes to a customer; maximise colleague productivity on the job; give details of traffic on the road; and provide a colleague with detailed checklists to ensure a safe and consistent service is provided. Customers can even track the location and ETA of their service delivery.

This Bridgestone investment in Avayler comes after a period of rapid growth. Its first customer was American Tire Distributors Inc., one of the largest independent suppliers of tyres to the replacement tyre market in North America. Since then, Avayler has won a number of significant contracts with operators around the globe, including Tirebuyer in the U.S. and Mobivia in Central Europe.

"The Bridgestone investment in Avayler is an important endorsement by one of the world's largest automotive businesses. With Avayler a little over two years old, Bridgestone's investment at this stage is testimony to their confidence in the business and the strength of Avayler's ground-breaking solution to allow automotive companies to offer completely integrated on and off-site support to customers," said Graham Stapleton, Chief Executive Officer of Halfords. "As well as becoming a shareholder in Avayler, Bridgestone will also deploy Avayler solutions to support its own mobility solutions and applications for drivers, fleet managers, and vehicle owners."

^{About Avayler
Avayler operates as a standalone entity within the Hafords Group, with a separate P&L. Built by the leading UK automotive business for the industry, Avayler was custom designed to make it easier for customers to order and receive automotive services, in any channel.}

^{Avayler helps ambitious automotive businesses fully digitalise their service delivery, from online customer bookings through to invoicing. Unlike competitive garage management solutions, the software platform unifies the customer journey from the point of ordering to parts bidding, job card creation, job management and invoicing, surfacing data throughout to give customers transparency and ease of mind.}

^{About Halfords
Halfords is the UK's leading provider of motoring and cycling services and products. Customers shop at 393 Halfords stores, 2 Performance Cycling stores (trading as Tredz and Giant), 643 garages (trading as Halfords Autocentres, McConechy's, Universal, National Tyres and Lodge Tyre) and have access to 264 mobile service vans (trading as Halfords Mobile Expert, Tyres on the Drive and National), 479 commercial vans and 5 HME Cycling vans. Customers can also shop at halfords.com and tredz.co.uk for pick up at their local store or direct home delivery, as well as booking garage services online at halfords.com.}

^{Contact information
Jamie Kightley
IBA International - PR for Halfords
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]}

^{Aaron Henley
VP of Sales , North America - Avayler
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]}

^{Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1960843/Avayler_Logo.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2263558/Halfords_Logo.jpg}

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