Halfords boosted by Wiggo effect and new chief This was much better than a 5pc fall expected by analysts and Halfords shares opened up 13.5pc in early trading on Tuesday. Investors also reacted well to the appointment overnight of Matt Davies, the former Pets At Home boss, as chief executive. He starts immediately. At Pets at Home he built sales and profits ahead of the company's £995m sale to private equity group KKR in 2010 and Investec called the appointment of Mr Davies "a very strong hire." "His background should enable him to successfully implement Halford's service-led strategy," the broker said in a note. Travel Solutions, which includes camping equipment and accessories, was hit by poor weather with second-quarter like-for-like sales dropping 0.9pc, while Car Enhancement saw a -1.5pc decline in like-for-like. Car Maintenance recorded +2.7pc rise. Halfords has been on the look - out for a new chief since parting company with David Wild in July after yet another profit warning. At the time, the board said it felt it was the "right time" for a change in leadership, as the retailer pressed ahead with a new strategy.