Britain's Next Keeps Profit Outlook after 5% Rise in 2023-24

FILE PHOTO: Workers walk through the More London business district with Tower Bridge seen behind in London, November 11, 2015.  REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers walk through the More London business district with Tower Bridge seen behind in London, November 11, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo/File Photo
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Britain's Next Keeps Profit Outlook after 5% Rise in 2023-24

FILE PHOTO: Workers walk through the More London business district with Tower Bridge seen behind in London, November 11, 2015.  REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Workers walk through the More London business district with Tower Bridge seen behind in London, November 11, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo/File Photo

British clothing retailer Next kept its guidance for sales and profit in the current year after reporting a slightly better than expected 5% rise in profit for 2023-24.
The group, which is often considered a useful gauge of how British consumers are faring, said on Thursday it still expected a profit before tax and exceptional items of 960 million pounds ($1.23 billion) in 2024-25, with full-price sales up 2.5%.
For the year to Jan. 27 2024 it made a profit on the same basis of 918 million pounds, versus guidance of 915 million pounds, on total sales up 5.9% to 5.84 billion pounds, Reuters reported.
"On the face of it, the consumer environment looks more benign than it has for a number of years, albeit there are some significant uncertainties," Next said.
The group said it did not currently anticipate any material adverse impact from stock delays due to disruption to shipments through the Suez Canal.



Pharrell Williams Teams with Nigo for Vuitton Show at the Louvre

A model presents a creation for the Louis Vuitton Menswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on January 21, 2025. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
A model presents a creation for the Louis Vuitton Menswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on January 21, 2025. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
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Pharrell Williams Teams with Nigo for Vuitton Show at the Louvre

A model presents a creation for the Louis Vuitton Menswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on January 21, 2025. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
A model presents a creation for the Louis Vuitton Menswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on January 21, 2025. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

Louis Vuitton men's creative director, Pharrell Williams, drew his audience to a rear courtyard of the Louvre Museum after dark on Tuesday for a fall-winter catwalk show, kicking off Paris Fashion Week with a line-up of jazzed up streetwear.
Models strode around the set to marching music, parading chunky wool suits, short bomber jackets, leather bermudas and coats in pastels, autumn tones and psychedelic renditions of the brand's signature logo patterns. There were colorful Speedy bags, lobster-claw charms, pearl embellishments, thick jewelry and utility pockets in suede leather. For this collection, Williams, who is also famous as a musician, teamed up with his longtime collaborator, Japanese fashion designer Nigo, currently creative director of another LVMH-owned label, Kenzo.
The pair have been active in street culture for decades, founding the label Billionaire Boys Club in 2003 and playing a role in streetwear's rise to prominence, blending music with fashion.
In the front row, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, who attended US President Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, sat between his wife, Helene Mercier, and NBA basketball player Victor Wembanyama, tapping his foot to the music.
Paris men's Fashion Week runs through Jan. 26 and is followed by Haute Couture shows.
Globally, high-end labels are grappling with a rare slowdown in appetite for fashion and accessories, with the key Chinese market a particular source of concern, while hopes are pinned on the US market for growth this year.