Will Rimell

A survey of 11,000 shoppers by consumer magazine Which? has rated Halfords as the worst high street retailer. The survey was carried out to highlight the best and worst performing shops on the UK high street.

The Garage Equipment Association’s Engineer’s Accreditation Programme will take a new focus on preparing technicians for the MOT test. A new emphasis will be put on calibration practices for brake testers, with an aim to eradicate bad practice.

Vehicles registered before 1960 are no longer required to have an MOT test, the Department for Transport has announced. Roads Minister Mike Penning said the move is part of red tape-cutting measures inside the government. He reasons that classic and historic cars are often scrupulously maintained.

Nissan and Starbucks might be creating thousands of jobs, but consultancy firm Deloitte says nearly 10,000 workers were let go in the first quarter as Past Times, Peacocks, Game, La Senza, and Blacks all faltered on the High Street. It’s not a particularly cheery backdrop for Saxon Distribution to be selling into car accessory retailers then.

"A car is a technical piece of engineering, requiring in-depth knowledge and skill to service and maintain it, this cannot possible be done at rock bottom prices." That's what Mill Autoquip's Damian Milling thinks, do you agree?

Tool and equipment specialist The Tool Connection has set up a dedicated channel on YouTube. The company says it will be using the video sharing site to promote its brands and the products it offers. Tool Connection says part of the aim of its videos will be to let users see new products in action before deciding to buy.

First Line is celebrating after its Borg & Beck brand was appointed as an approved clutch range to the Groupauto trading group. Groupauto members now have access to the complete range, which First Line says is one of the UK’s largest ranges of clutch components.

Euro Car Parts plans to open at least 16 new branches before the end of the third quarter of 2012, with five new branches to open in Scotland. The parts supplier has revealed its growth intentions for the rest of the year while also confirming it will create over 2000 full time jobs as part of its plans.

The IGA is urging all independent workshops to write to their MPs in a bid to stop proposals to make the use of SWOBs illegal. The IGA says the government is questioning whether the use of SWOBs is necessary considering the environmental impact they have. While the Waste Incineration Directive that could have banned the use of SWOBs in workshops was overturned into 2000, MPs are now debating whether this decision needs reversing.