Forecast to remain fair for cautious Next

Clothes retailer Next is well placed to cope when the economic outlook turns stormy

Next is carefully managing its transition from high street to online sales as the balance in the market shiftsRupert Hartley/Bloomberg

The problem with nice hot summers is that they don’t last.

Retailer Next said the heatwave did indeed prompt its customers to buy more T-shirts, shorts and linen dresses — second-quarter, own-brand sales rose 2.8 per cent in the 12 weeks to July 28. Although that was just below the consensus of analysts’ estimates, it was ahead of the company’s own forecasts.

However, Next also warned that the purchases made in July would ...