Next forecasts bigger profits after hot weather lifts sales
News Source
•Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:14:07 GMT
📰 What Happened
The UK clothing chain Next has raised its profit forecast for the fourth time this year. It now expects yearly profits of £1.26bn, up by £12m. Total sales rose 9 percent in the six months to July.
Next said the first half was much better than expected, both in the UK and overseas. It thanked two unusually warm summers for part of the boost. Half-year pre-tax profits rose 11 percent to £566m.
🔍 The Backstory
Next began as a clothing brand and is now a FTSE 100 company with more than 500 shops in the UK. It also sells other labels through its website and owns the UK rights to Gap and Victoria's Secret.
Hot weather often helps clothing shops, because people buy summer clothes. But Next warned that prices could rise in autumn and that UK shoppers may slow down their spending.
🎯 Why It Matters
Next is seen as a guide to how UK shopping is going. Its warning about rising prices hints at what other shops may do next.
The UK clothing chain Next has raised its profit forecast for the fourth time this year. It now expects yearly profits of £1.26bn, up by £12m. Total sales rose 9 percent in the six months to July.
Next said the first half was much better than expected, both in the UK and overseas. It thanked two unusually warm summers for part of the boost. Half-year pre-tax profits rose 11 percent to £566m.
Next began as a clothing brand and is now a FTSE 100 company with more than 500 shops in the UK. It also sells other labels through its website and owns the UK rights to Gap and Victoria's Secret.
Hot weather often helps clothing shops, because people buy summer clothes. But Next warned that prices could rise in autumn and that UK shoppers may slow down their spending.
Next is seen as a guide to how UK shopping is going. Its warning about rising prices hints at what other shops may do next.