HALFORDS, the Worcestershire based national bike retailer, has been ranked 18th in The Sunday Times Best Big Companies to Work For survey, a jump of seven places from last year.

The ranking is entirely based on feedback from company employees, through a detailed questionnaire about workplace culture, practices and employees' sentiment towards their employers.

Catherine Hambleton-Gray, head of people at Halfords, said: "We’re thrilled to have again been named as one of the Best Big Companies To Work For by The Sunday Times. This is testament to the many initiatives we have in place for our colleagues including the Three Gears Programme, our three year apprenticeship programme at Autocentres and wider community programmes including teaching primary school pupils about bike safety and maintenance. It’s great to know our colleagues are proud to work for Halfords and it’s thanks to them that Halfords is the success it is today.”

The company has its headquarters in Redditch and employs 11,000 people across the UK.