LAYING IT ON THE ONLINE
Fashion-conscious Brits have been snapping up new gear during the heatwave and boosting sales at clothes chain Next. Revenue grew 2.8% in the last three months as “shoppers brought forward their spending on lightweight summer clothing from August”. However, online is proving more popular for clothes buyers, leaving Next high street stores in the doldrums. Online sales in the three months to July 28 shot up by 12.5%, while high street sales slumped by 5.9%. The company said it expects full-year profits to come in at £717million, a fall of 1.3% on the previous year.