Sales at high street clothes chain Next have jumped 10 per so far this year thanks to growing consumer confidence and new store openings. The Enderby-based company said branded sales were up 10.7 per cent, with in-store business up 7.5 per cent and the online Next Directory up 16.2 per cent. New stores accounted for a 2.4 per cent rise in overall business. Shares in the company rose 2 per cent on the announcement, to £66.80, along with news that Next was raising its sales forecast for the full year top growth of 7-10 per cent. In a trading statement, the company said: "It might appear overly cautious to forecast a full year sales range which is below our current rate of growth. "However, the first half of last year were hampered by a particularly cold spring and Easter which presented a soft comparison for this year. "Last year sales progressively improved through the year. "This pattern makes estimating second half sales particularly difficult so our guidance for the next six months is for growth of between 4 and 10 per cent." The business – now valued at more than £10 billion – has raised its profit forecast for the year to next January to between £775 million and £815 million, up £25 million on its previous estimates. Last month Next headed up the Leicester Mercury's list of Top 200 companies for the third successive year. Early last month the company's share value dropped with the announcement that Christos Angelides – one of the people who turned Next into a multi-billion pound fashion retailer which is now more profitable than Marks and Spencer – is quitting to take a senior role at US clothes brand Abercrombie and Fitch. Angelides has been at the Enderby-based high street retailer for 28 years, rising to one of the most senior members of the board. He will remain at Next until September and start his new job in October. In April Next boss Simon Wolfson said he was giving away almost £4 million of his earnings to his staff – a year after gifting them £2.4 million. The Tory lord and boss of the high street clothes giant waived a huge bonus in favour of sharing it among 20,000 employees who have three or more years' service. Qualifying staff – many of whom work at the company's head office in Desford Road, Enderby – got a one-off payment worth about 1.5 per cent of their annual salary.
