Next expects profits to top £1.1bn after bumper festive sales
AI Summary
Next anticipates annual profits exceeding £1.1 billion after unexpectedly strong Christmas sales, marking its fourth profit forecast upgrade in eight months. UK sales rose by 5.9% in the nine weeks leading up to December 27th, boosted by increased stock levels and successful end-of-year sales. The retailer's annual sales are projected to increase by 10.7% to £5.6 billion, with pre-tax profits up 13.7% to £1.15 billion. Overseas sales also exceeded expectations, growing by 38% due to increased marketing and a partnership with Zalando. Despite Next's positive performance, the company has cautioned about potential challenges in 2026 due to ongoing pressures on UK employment, and analysts suggest Next's success may not be indicative of the broader retail sector's performance.
Key Entities & Roles
Keywords
Sentiment Analysis
Source Transparency
This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).
Topic Connections
Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories