Next
Pre-tax profit forecast £845m
Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise may be considered a bit bearish but Next, the clothing retailer he heads, is often regarded as the bellwether of the British high street.
So what can we make of Next and its third-quarter trading statement?
On the face of it, things look rosy. Britain’s second-largest clothing retailer has reported a healthy 6 per cent rise in full-price sales in the quarter to October 29, with its store sales up a touch more, and its Next Directory sales a little less.
The retailer even sounded bullish by upping its full-year pre-tax profit forecasts to between £810 million and £845 million, against £805 million and £845 million, which is promising as it heads into the vital