Following the release of Next’s figures for the 13 weeks ending 31 October 2026; Sofie Willmott, associate director at GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform, offers her view: “Despite operating in a subdued UK clothing & footwear market where shoppers have been cautious with their non-essential spending, Next has yet again delivered solid growth, with UK full-price sales rising 2.0% in its Q3 and 3.0% year to date. Total group full-price sales growth was well above UK results, driven by online international sales, which increased 32.2% as the business continues to invest in profitable marketing overseas. The retailer is wise to pursue opportunities outside the UK given the limited prospects for growth in its domestic market, although given Next’s agility, we expect it to continue to seek out new possibilities to capture further share of UK shopper spend, such as acquiring brands and retailers.
“Against its close competitor M&S, Next is outperforming, achieving decent Q3 UK sales growth for the past two years whereas although M&S’ H1 sales (for the 26 weeks to 26th September 2026) rose 17.5% against the cyberattack in April 2025, fashion, home & beauty sales were down versus two years ago. M&S has been ramping up its fashion credentials over the past few years, vastly improving its appeal amongst younger consumers, but the convenience Next offers across such a broad product range continues to attract loyal family shoppers and set it apart. Both retailers—stalwarts in the midmarket appealing to slightly more affluent shoppers—are in a much better position than value players to perform well into 2027, as cost-of-living pressures continue to pile on UK consumers.
“Unusually for Next, it has not announced a profit upgrade alongside its results today. While sales came through higher than it expected thanks to international markets, the profit generated from these sales has been offset by additional overseas costs from new EU tariffs. Next expects to better navigate these tariffs going forward, but for now, its profit guidance remains the same for the full year, with group profit before tax up set to rise an impressive 8.4%.”
