UK Retailer Next Raises Annual Profit Guidance

British fashion retailer Next raised its guidance for annual profit by 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) to 845 million pounds. Reuters file photo
British fashion retailer Next raised its guidance for annual profit by 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) to 845 million pounds. Reuters file photo
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UK Retailer Next Raises Annual Profit Guidance

British fashion retailer Next raised its guidance for annual profit by 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) to 845 million pounds. Reuters file photo
British fashion retailer Next raised its guidance for annual profit by 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) to 845 million pounds. Reuters file photo

British fashion retailer Next raised its guidance for annual profit by 10 million pounds ($12.7 million) to 845 million pounds on Thursday, after full price sales and the end-of-season summer sale came in ahead of forecasts.
The upgrade from Next, which is considered a barometer of how British consumers are faring as it trades from about 500 stores and online, came just six weeks after its last upgrade and shows shoppers continue to defy tough economic conditions.
A year of high inflation and consecutive interest rate rises in Britain have squeezed household incomes, but high street spending has held up, and Next said it sees annual full-price sales 1.8% higher than in its 2022-23 financial year.
Value-retailer Primark and Sports Direct-owner Frasers Group have both in recent weeks issued positive updates, Reuters reported.
Next's forecast for profits of 845 million pounds in its statement on Thursday means they will come in 2.9% lower than it made in 2022-23.



Italian Shoemaker Geox to Invest $125 Million in 5-year Plan

FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
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Italian Shoemaker Geox to Invest $125 Million in 5-year Plan

FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Geox shoes are seen in a shop in Rome, Italy, April 10, 2016. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo

Italian shoemaker Geox plans to invest about 120 million euros ($125 million) as part of an industrial plan to 2029 and has signed a five-year deal with a leading Chinese operator to expand its presence in the country.

The maker of breathable, waterproof footwear said in November it would end direct operations in the unprofitable Chinese and US markets after posting a 9.7% yearly drop in nine-month revenue globally, Reuters reported. It said it would continue its business in the two countries through local partnerships.

In addition to the investments, announced in a statement late on Monday, the group said it would extend by 24 months the medium- to long-term debt repayment plans as part of a debt refinancing agreement with creditor banks including Monte dei Paschi and the Italian units of BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole.
Geox controlling shareholder LIR, the family holding of its chairman and founder Mario Moretti Polegato, will contribute up to 60 million euros to the industrial plan, the statement said.
The shoemaker expects yearly revenues above 850 million euros by 2029, compared with 720 million in 2023, with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% in the next five years, and an EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) margin over 7% by 2029.