Following today’s release of Next’s figures for the 13 weeks ending 2 May 2026; Louise Deglise-Favre, lead apparel analyst at GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform, offers her view: “Next Q1 sales beat the retailer’s expectations, with full-price sales rising 6.2%, surpassing its forecast of a 4.0% rise. Next continues to outperform the UK apparel market, as consumers resonate with its value-for-money credentials, strong brand selection and wide ranges. The retailer made the majority of its growth in the first five weeks of the quarter prior to the start of the war in Iran, with full-price sales rising 11.8%. This impressive first quarter has prompted Next to raise its full-year guidance, expecting Next group profit before tax to rise 5.2% to £1,218m versus 4.5% to £1,210m previously. While the retailer now expects costs related to the Middle East conflict to rise to £47m for the full year compared to £12m previously, it also expects to fully mitigate these costs increases with price rises in international markets and cost-saving measures.
“In the UK, Next’s full-price sales rose 4.4% in the quarter, driven by the online channel, which rose 10.1%, while retail store sales fell 3.4%. Within the UK online channel, the LABEL division, comprised of third-party brands, significantly outperformed, with full-price LABEL sales rising 15.7%. This highlights how brand selection is one of Next’s strengths. In January 2026, the retailer acquired the premium footwear brand Russell & Bromley, adding to its successful portfolio of premium brands such a Reiss. While the footwear brand had been struggling and ultimately was under administration prior to the sale, there are high hopes that Next’s ownership will allow it to flourish again by building on its design heritage without the burden of stores.
“Online international full price sales rose 12.8% in Q1, with an exceptional start to the quarter. Sales rose 26.0% in the first five weeks of the quarter before dropping 8.9% in the following three weeks as the Iran conflict severely disrupted product deliveries. Between weeks 9 and 13, international sales rose 18.3%, as delivery disruptions subsided in the region. Despite the impact of the conflict, the exceptional performances in the beginning and end of the quarter can partially be attributed to improved stock availability and more efficient logistics because of Zalando’s ZEOS distribution services in European markets.”
