Halfords has appointed McDonald’s former head of UK and Northern European operations as its next chief executive.

Jill McDonald (she has no connection to the fast-food chain) replaces Matt Davies. He is now in charge of Tesco UK.

McDonald (pictured) has worked at large consumer goods firms including toothpaste-to-soaps giant Colgate Palmolive, airline British Airways and is a non-executive at InterContinental Hotels.

She said: "Halfords is a business and brand that resonates with me and the UK public and I am delighted to be joining the company."

Chairman Dennis Millard said: "We are delighted to have recruited Jill, who has a strong track record of heading a large, complex, service-led business with great success.

"I’m really excited that we have attracted someone of Jill’s calibre who will build on what we’ve achieved over the last few years and we all really look forward to working with her."