Next confirms consortium bid for Topshop-owner Arcadia January 5, 2021 Next has confirmed that it is part of a consortium bidding for Arcadia brands, but said it was not seeking majority ownership of Sir Philip Green’s collapsed business empire. It was reported last month that the high street retailer was holding detailed discussions with Davidson Kempner about a combined offer for Arcadia, the owner of [...]
Next shares soar following strong online Christmas sales January 5, 2021 British fashion giant Next today reported a surge in online sales over the Christmas period that looks set to boost profit beyond expectations for the year and help offset high street losses. Full-price sales fell 1.1 per cent in 2020 compared to the year before, beating its central guidance of an eight per cent annual [...]
This Week: PMIs, Morrisons, Next, US unemployment, Fed, M&S January 4, 2021 City A.M. looks at the first business week of 2021 with Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. Monday: UK PMIs for December Flash numbers in the middle of December were surprisingly encouraging, with manufacturing rising to 57.3. “No doubt due to some pre-Brexit stockpiling. services also managed to rebound a touch, coming [...]
Next hikes profit forecast after stronger than expected sales October 28, 2020 Next has hiked its profit forecast for the year after sales in the third quarter were stronger than expected. The high street retailer said full-year profit before tax is now expected to be £365m, £65m higher than the forecast given in September. Full price sales in the three months ended 24 October increased 2.8 per [...]
Next boss warns thousands of retail jobs set to become ‘unviable’ September 25, 2020 The boss of fashion retailer Next has warned that hundreds of thousands of retail jobs could become “unviable” due to a more permanent shift to online shopping caused by coronavirus. Lord Wolfson, who heads up the British high street chain, said there were tough times ahead for the sector, following the Chancellor’s announcement of the [...]
Next and M&S show that consumer behaviour isn’t set in stone July 1, 2020 Non-essential shops reopened on 15 June and most leisure attractions are due to reopen on 4 July, indicating a return to some resemblance of normality. There were long queues when high street favourites like Primark reopened, but have 12 weeks of lockdown changed the shopping habits of the British people? New YouGov data suggests that [...]
Next warns sales could drop 40 per cent this year after steeper decline than expected April 29, 2020 High street retailer Next warned this morning that full-year sales could dive as much as 40 per cent after the impact of coronavirus on trading was “faster and steeper” than expected. Next’s share price dropped as much as four per cent after the retailer said total full price sales including interest income were down 38 [...]
Next resumes online trading after increasing coronavirus safety measures April 14, 2020 Fashion retailer Next has reopened its online shop after implementing new measures to make its warehouse operations safer for workers during the coronavirus crisis. The company has limited the number of online sales it will take each day, in order to reduce the number of workers needed to process orders. Next has already reached the [...]
Next suspends online shopping amid UK coronavirus outbreak March 27, 2020 Next has suspended all online operations in order to protect staff amid the UK coronavirus outbreak. The high street retailer said it has made the “difficult decision” to keep warehouse and distribution staff safe as the number of UK coronavirus cases continues to rise. The company said in a statement last night: Next has listened [...]
Next warns of coronavirus blow to online and high street sales March 19, 2020 High street titan Next has warned coronavirus will produce a “very significant” sales blow in the coming year as travel restrictions dramatically damage the retail sector. Next, considered an economic bellwether, said it is now preparing for a “significant downturn” in 2020. “When the pandemic first appeared in China, we assumed that the threat was [...]