Next to repay £29m from Covid business rates holiday with profits set to hit £750m as sales pass pre-pandemic levels
High street stalwart Next has agreed to repay part of the savings it made from a Covid business rates holiday after a better-than-expected sales performance.
Bosses at the fashion chain said profits will be ahead of expectations as sales topped pre-pandemic levels, with pent-up demand leading to customers restocking wardrobes not updated since before coronavirus hit.
The £29 million in business rates being repaid covers the period when the company had stores open but was not charged the commercial property levy. Business rates are devolved in Scotland so there are likely to be consequentials as a result of the Barnett formula.
Pre-tax profits for the year are now expected to hit £750 million – an increase of £30 million on previous expectations – after full-price sales in the 11 weeks to July 17 rose 18.6 per cent.
The group put the strong growth down to stored-up demand for adult clothing, with many customers having
made few summer purchases during the last 18 months. Warm weather at the end of May and start of June also provided a lift.
Next said it believed the growth was also due to fewer people taking overseas holidays and spending their cash in the UK instead, while splashing out with money saved from during pandemic.
Despite the robust overall sales, business in Next’s physical stores remains subdued, with sales down 6 per cent in the 11 weeks to July 17 compared with the same period in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
But this was more than offset by stellar growth online – up 44 per cent over the same period compared with two years earlier.
The group’s online fashion label business – selling thirdparty brands – was the strongest subsection, up 65 per cent in the period, while its ownbrand clothes sales jumped 28 per cent.
Overseassaleswereup61per cent.
The group revealed it plans to pay a special dividend to shareholders later this year.
A number of major retailers have agreed to hand back the savings made from the business rates holiday.
In December, Tesco said it was repaying some £585m it had saved.