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Next (retailer)
Encyclopedia
Next plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire
, England
. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
.
in Leeds
in 1864 as a tailor under the name of Joseph Hepworth & Son.
In 1982 Hepworth & Son acquired Kendall & Sons Ltd
, a Leicester
based rainwear and ladies fashion company from Combined English Stores. The intention was to redevelop the Kendall's stores as a womenswear chain of shops. Terence Conran
, the designer, was Chairman of Hepworth's at this time and he recruited George Davies
, who went on to become Chief Executive of NEXT.
The first NEXT shops opened on 12 February 1982, with the Kendall's conversion complete by the end of 1983.
Made chief executive in 1984, Davies then converted the 50 Hepworths stores to the NEXT format, extending the total concept look at the same time to cover menswear. This allowed the development mini department across the entire footprint, selling women's and men's and clothes. This was added to by the introduction of NEXT interiors to stores which were deemed in the "right demographical areas." In 1986, Davies moved the groups headquarters from Leeds to Leicester
, to be closer to the main garment manufacturers. The groups name changed to NEXT plc.
In 1987, the group acquired Combined English Stores and the Grattan catalogue company. Extending first to introduce NEXT childrenswear, Davies then introduced the NEXT Directory.
By 1988, "after seven years of growth, Next had over- expanded suicidally" .. "some stores were not bringing in enough to pay the rent." Davies was sacked and the share price fell to 7p. Chairman Sir David Jones, accused him of being egotistical and taking Next to the verge of bankruptcy.
In Autumn 2009, Next launched an online catalogue for the United States offering clothing, shoes and accessories for women, men and children.
Its other businesses include Next Sourcing, for own brand products; Lipsy, which designs and sells its own branded younger women's fashion products through wholesale, retail and Website channels.
In July 2010, a BBC
investigation found Next was breaking the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
by billing customers for its delivery costs even if goods were returned within the seven working days. A spokesman for Next admitted that they had been doing this for three years but promised to comply by August 2010. Trading Standards
said that the DSRs had been in force for ten years, and there was no excuse for not adhering to them. "Although the majority of businesses ..are law-abiding, there is a small minority that are not and those are the companies we need to take action against."
Prices charged in Ireland have attracted criticism. Next was one of four retailers accused of failing to pass on exchange rate savings to shoppers in the Republic.
All non UK and Ireland stores with the exception of Copenhagen, Denmark are franchises. One of the largest franchises is in Japan, operated by Xebio.
Until circa 1991 Next used a lower case Courier
-style typeface in black against a white background for its logo. This was replaced by the capitalised NEXT logo in a Roman
-serif style type face. There were some variations of this such as the logo with each letter of NEXT in an individual square and in some stores in 2005/6 had the Next logo in a varying blue & black background with "X's" printed on them, as opposed to the black background. In addition, some variations in typeface occurred during the logo's use – including similar fonts that had serifs positioned above the "T" crossbar, similar to Garamond
and others that had more in common with Times New Roman. In 2007 a new next logo was introduced, although the previous logo continued to be used until stock was exhausted.
Next clothing often carries reference to the origins of the company in 1982 with use of "82" or "1982" as a design feature on clothes in all ranges.
Prior to 2007 Next only advertised immediately prior to a sale, usually through brief television spots and newspaper advertising. In 2007 following a "disappointing" 7.2% fall in like for like
sales, it announced it was investing "£17 million over the next three years to revive its existing stores and product offering" + an additional £10m for marketing.
Yasmin Le Bon
who modelled in the first Next Directory in Spring 1988 featured in an on-line fashion show.
In September 2007, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Next launched its first television campaign in 12 years named 'Ali's Party' with the song 'Suddenly I See' starring Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio
. All extra casts were Next employees, otherwise nicknamed 'nextras'. A second advert featuring Ambrosio, was screened in November 2007 and the songs were regularly played instore during the campaign.
An advert directed by Ben Watts
and filmed on the banks of the river Seine
was shown in September 2010 to reflect the season’s Parisian
chic styles. It was soundtracked by The Specials
’ "A Message to You, Rudy
" and starred Brazilian model Emanuela de Paula
and Spanish actor Jon Kortajarena
.
Enderby, Leicestershire
Enderby is a civil parish in the district of Blaby , in Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the south western outskirts of the city of Leicester and has a population of 5,648 at the time of the 2001 census....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
.
History
The company was founded by Joseph HepworthJoseph Hepworth (tailor)
Joseph Hepworth was the clothing manufacturer who founded Joseph Hepworth & Son, a company which grew to become the United Kingdom's largest clothing manufacturer and which is now known as Next plc.-Career:...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1864 as a tailor under the name of Joseph Hepworth & Son.
In 1982 Hepworth & Son acquired Kendall & Sons Ltd
Kendall & Sons Ltd
Kendall and Sons Limited was an umbrella, rainwear and ladies wear company founded in 1870, it was bought by Combined English Stores in 1977, and subsequently by Hepworths, a Leeds based menswear company. It was then converted into the Next ladieswear chain....
, a Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
based rainwear and ladies fashion company from Combined English Stores. The intention was to redevelop the Kendall's stores as a womenswear chain of shops. Terence Conran
Terence Conran
Sir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.-Early life and education:Terence Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who owned a rubber importation company in East...
, the designer, was Chairman of Hepworth's at this time and he recruited George Davies
George Davies (retailer)
George Davies , is an English fashion designer and retailer.Davis headed Next from its creation in the 1980s, before moving on to start the fashion label 'George at Asda' in the 1990s...
, who went on to become Chief Executive of NEXT.
The first NEXT shops opened on 12 February 1982, with the Kendall's conversion complete by the end of 1983.
Made chief executive in 1984, Davies then converted the 50 Hepworths stores to the NEXT format, extending the total concept look at the same time to cover menswear. This allowed the development mini department across the entire footprint, selling women's and men's and clothes. This was added to by the introduction of NEXT interiors to stores which were deemed in the "right demographical areas." In 1986, Davies moved the groups headquarters from Leeds to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, to be closer to the main garment manufacturers. The groups name changed to NEXT plc.
In 1987, the group acquired Combined English Stores and the Grattan catalogue company. Extending first to introduce NEXT childrenswear, Davies then introduced the NEXT Directory.
By 1988, "after seven years of growth, Next had over- expanded suicidally" .. "some stores were not bringing in enough to pay the rent." Davies was sacked and the share price fell to 7p. Chairman Sir David Jones, accused him of being egotistical and taking Next to the verge of bankruptcy.
In Autumn 2009, Next launched an online catalogue for the United States offering clothing, shoes and accessories for women, men and children.
Operations
Next has three main outlets: Next Retail, a chain of 500+ retail branches in the United Kingdom and Ireland; Next Directory, a home shopping catalogue and Website with more than 2 million active customers, and Next International, with 180+ international stores.Its other businesses include Next Sourcing, for own brand products; Lipsy, which designs and sells its own branded younger women's fashion products through wholesale, retail and Website channels.
In July 2010, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
investigation found Next was breaking the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
The Consumer Protection Regulations 2000, SI 2000/2334, incorporates Directive into law of the United Kingdom. They apply to contracts "concluded between a supplier and a consumer under an organised distance sales or services provision scheme run by the supplier who, for the purposes of the...
by billing customers for its delivery costs even if goods were returned within the seven working days. A spokesman for Next admitted that they had been doing this for three years but promised to comply by August 2010. Trading Standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
said that the DSRs had been in force for ten years, and there was no excuse for not adhering to them. "Although the majority of businesses ..are law-abiding, there is a small minority that are not and those are the companies we need to take action against."
Prices charged in Ireland have attracted criticism. Next was one of four retailers accused of failing to pass on exchange rate savings to shoppers in the Republic.
All non UK and Ireland stores with the exception of Copenhagen, Denmark are franchises. One of the largest franchises is in Japan, operated by Xebio.
Senior management
| role | salary | bonus | total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Wolfson Simon Wolfson Simon Wolfson, Baron Wolfson of Aspley Guise is a British businessman and currently chief executive of the clothing retailer Next and a Conservative life peer... |
Chief Executive Officer | £675,000 | £123,000 | £798,000 |
| David W. Keens | Group Finance Director | £450,000 | £82,000 | £532,000 |
| Christos E. Angelides | Group Product Director | £480,000 | £85,000 | £565,000 |
| Andrew J. Varley | Group Property Director | £335,000 | £61,000 | £396,000 |
Logos and marketing
Courier (typeface)
Courier is a monospaced slab serif typeface designed to resemble the output from a strike-on typewriter. The typeface was designed by Howard "Bud" Kettler in 1955...
-style typeface in black against a white background for its logo. This was replaced by the capitalised NEXT logo in a Roman
Roman type
In typography, roman is one of the three main kinds of historical type, alongside blackletter and italic. Roman type was modelled from a European scribal manuscript style of the 1400s, based on the pairing of inscriptional capitals used in ancient Rome with Carolingian minuscules developed in the...
-serif style type face. There were some variations of this such as the logo with each letter of NEXT in an individual square and in some stores in 2005/6 had the Next logo in a varying blue & black background with "X's" printed on them, as opposed to the black background. In addition, some variations in typeface occurred during the logo's use – including similar fonts that had serifs positioned above the "T" crossbar, similar to Garamond
Garamond
Garamond is the name given to a group of old-style serif typefaces named after the punch-cutter Claude Garamond . Most of the Garamond faces are more closely related to the work of a later punch-cutter, Jean Jannon...
and others that had more in common with Times New Roman. In 2007 a new next logo was introduced, although the previous logo continued to be used until stock was exhausted.
Next clothing often carries reference to the origins of the company in 1982 with use of "82" or "1982" as a design feature on clothes in all ranges.
Prior to 2007 Next only advertised immediately prior to a sale, usually through brief television spots and newspaper advertising. In 2007 following a "disappointing" 7.2% fall in like for like
Like for like
Like for like growth is a measure of growth in sales, adjusted for new or divested businesses. This is a widely-used indicator of retailers' current trading performance. The adjustment is important in businesses that show a significant dynamic of expansion, disposals or closures...
sales, it announced it was investing "£17 million over the next three years to revive its existing stores and product offering" + an additional £10m for marketing.
Yasmin Le Bon
Yasmin Le Bon
Yasmin Le Bon is a British Iranian fashion model. She was born to an Iranian father and an English mother...
who modelled in the first Next Directory in Spring 1988 featured in an on-line fashion show.
In September 2007, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Next launched its first television campaign in 12 years named 'Ali's Party' with the song 'Suddenly I See' starring Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio
Alessandra Ambrosio
Alessandra Corine Ambrósio is a Brazilian model. Ambrosio is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret and was chosen as the first spokesmodel for the company's "PINK" line...
. All extra casts were Next employees, otherwise nicknamed 'nextras'. A second advert featuring Ambrosio, was screened in November 2007 and the songs were regularly played instore during the campaign.
An advert directed by Ben Watts
Ben Watts
Benjamin Oliver Anthony "Ben" Watts is an English photographer based in New York, whose work has been seen in various international fashion magazines, such as Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Condé Nast Traveller. He is the brother of actress Naomi Watts...
and filmed on the banks of the river Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
was shown in September 2010 to reflect the season’s Parisian
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
chic styles. It was soundtracked by The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
’ "A Message to You, Rudy
A Message to You, Rudy
"Rudy, A Message to You" is a 1967 rocksteady song by Dandy Livingstone. The song later achieved broader success when in 1979, The Specials cover, titled "A Message to You, Rudy", reached Number 10 in the UK chart....
" and starred Brazilian model Emanuela de Paula
Emanuela de Paula
Emanuela de Paula is a Brazilian model. She has been the face of UK retailer Next for the past two seasons and can be seen in the 2009 Pirelli Calendar...
and Spanish actor Jon Kortajarena
Jon Kortajarena
Jon Kortajarena Redruello is a Spanish model. He is known for his distinct hair, chiseled cheekbones, piercing eyes, and full pout. He has landed advertising campaigns for Just Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Bally, Etro, Trussardi, Diesel, Mangano, Lagerfeld, Pepe Jeans but notably Matinique,...
.