Next

Next built its reputation on well-made, sensibly priced clothing, footwear and homeware for the whole family, and shoppers generally rate it for reliable everyday quality. It is the largest clothing retailer by sales in the United Kingdom, having overtaken Marks & Spencer in 2012 and again in 2014, which speaks to broad trust in its mix of value and dependability. Think of it as a sturdy high-street wardrobe staple rather than a luxury splurge.

Next is a clothing, footwear and home products retailer, so a single shop or order can cover your wardrobe and your living room alike. Over the years the group has folded in furniture and lifestyle names too, acquiring Made.com in 2022 and the vintage-inspired homeware label Cath Kidston in 2023. That breadth is part of why Next functions as a one-stop British high-street destination.

Next operates around 700 stores, roughly 500 in the United Kingdom and about 200 across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, so there is a good chance of a branch near you. It also runs a long-established home-shopping arm, the Next Directory, introduced under chief executive George Davies. For overseas shoppers, Next launched an online catalogue for the United States in autumn 2009 covering women's, men's and children's ranges.

Yes. Next is a British multinational retailer headquartered in Enderby, England, and it is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Its roots are deeply British: the business traces back to a Leeds tailor founded in 1864.

The Next name first appeared on 12 February 1982, when designer Terence Conran's Hepworth group converted womenswear chain Kendall & Sons into a new format devised by George Davies. The underlying company is far older, founded by Joseph Hepworth in Leeds in 1864 as a tailor. Davies was appointed chief executive in 1984 and expanded Next into mini department stores selling both women's and men's clothes.

Next struck a chord by offering coordinated, contemporary collections at accessible prices, and under George Davies it grew into mini department stores blending womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and home. That formula helped it become the United Kingdom's largest clothing retailer by sales. Its combination of physical stores and the Next Directory home-shopping service keeps it convenient for a wide audience.

George Davies was recruited to the Hepworth group and devised the Next concept, converting Kendall's stores into the first Next shops in 1982. As chief executive from 1984 he drove rapid expansion, introduced Next childrenswear and launched the Next Directory. After a period of over-expansion in the late 1980s he was sacked, but his vision shaped the modern Next.

The Next Directory is the retailer's home-shopping catalogue, introduced under George Davies as Next broadened beyond the high street. It extended the brand into mail-order and, later, online shopping, letting customers browse Next's clothing, footwear and home ranges from home. It remains a recognisable part of how Next reaches shoppers alongside its stores.

Yes, mainly around pay. In May 2014 the Living Wage Foundation bought Next shares and attended the annual general meeting to press the company to pay a living wage, and that October journalist Janice Turner criticised Next and other retailers for failing to do so. Next responded that it had around thirty applicants for every advertised job. As with any large employer, it is worth weighing these debates alongside the value the brand offers.

Beyond its core ranges, Next has built a stable of well-known names. It bought the youth label Lipsy in 2008, acquired furniture retailer Made.com in 2022, entered a joint venture to rescue Joules the same year with founder Tom Joule keeping 26% of the equity, and acquired vintage homeware brand Cath Kidston in 2023. That portfolio lets Next reach several style audiences under one group.