NEXT is a UK based retailer offering exciting, beautifully designed, excellent quality

fashion and accessories for men, women and children together with a full range of

homewares# NEXT distributes through three main channels:


■NEXT Retail, a chain of more than 500 stores in the UK and Eire;
■NEXT Directory, a home shopping catalogue and website with around 3 million active customers and international websites serving approximately 50 countries; and
■NEXT International, with almost 200 mainly franchised stores around the world#
Other businesses in the NEXT group include:■NEXT Sourcing, which designs, sources and buys NEXT branded products;
■Lipsy, which designs and sells its own branded younger women's fashion products through retail, internet and wholesale channels; and
The parent company, NEXT plc, is listed on the London Stock Exchange #LSE: NXT#L# and is a member of the FTSE 100 Index# Total revenues for the year ended January 2012 were £3#5 billion with underlying pre-tax profits of £570 million# NEXT's head office is located in Enderby on the outskirts of Leicester, England

http://www.next.co.uk/

NEXT PLC - RESULTS FOR YEAR ENDING JANUARY 2013

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

The year to January 2013 was another good year for NEXT. Underlying earnings per share before exceptional gains grew by 16.6% to 297.7p and we propose to increase our full year dividend to 105p.

This is the fourth consecutive year that our earnings per share and dividend have grown by over 15%, at a time when the UK economy has continued to struggle for growth.

NEXT Directory, our online and catalogue business, continued to grow, and its sales increased by 9.5%. The growth differential between NEXT Directory and NEXT Retail, where sales were level, narrowed. The two businesses continue to work well together and support each other in many ways. For example, over 20% of Directory sales are delivered through our stores and over 60% of the returns come back that way. Both businesses increased their operating margins during the year and the Group's underlying profit before tax rose by 9.0% to £622 million.

Cash flow was particularly strong, helped by the timing of capital expenditure and stock intake at the year end. We continued with share buybacks, buying 7.5 million shares at an average price of £32.13. During the year we returned £390 million to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends.

Our share price again performed well during 2012, in both absolute and relative terms. Over the last two financial years the share price has risen by over 100%.

As ever, our success is built on the stability and effectiveness of our management across the Group. They performed well in challenging economic conditions. I would like to thank them and all the NEXT employees for their outstanding contribution during the year.

We anticipate another challenging year ahead, with little if any growth in the UK retail economy. In these circumstances we again aim to achieve growth by investing in the Brand, improving our products, controlling costs and returning cash to our shareholders.

John Barton
Chairman

140 points range so far this morning.

Next: Bank of America increases target price from 4300p to 4600p maintaining a neutral rating.Next PLC (NXT:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 4,373. Over this period, the share price is up 46.00%.




The upbeat numbers boosted Marks & Spencer (LON:MKS) shares by 1.3%, with Next (LON:NXT) up 0.7% after yesterday’s bonanza sales numbers.

But JPMorgan Cazenove is still inclined to avoid over-optimism.

It said: “Despite the positive sales figures so far this year, we would be cautious as to the extent that this can be read as a sign of things to come, particularly in the context of consumer headwinds such as rising energy costs.”

The broker added that the dismal weather in March will affect sales at clothing retailers, while investors in retailers with stores in southern Europe may want to look elsewhere as JPMorgan suggests conditions on the continent are not getting any better.

Dividend Declaration
RNS
RNS Number : 7151A
Next PLC
22 March 2013



Next plc

Dividend Declaration



Final dividend for the year ended 26 January 2013



Further to the announcement of its final results for the year ended 26 January 2013, the Company confirms that, subject to its approval by shareholders at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, the final dividend of 74p per share will be paid on 1 August 2013 to those members on the Company's register at the close of business on 28 June 2013.



Mr A J R McKinlay

Company Secretary

Next plc

just shorted your beauty DC at 4382..you think ok? :)

I have not tomasz. :-))

I see :)

I have not tomasz, does not mean I would not,lol.Let us know the result, good luck.

I was expecting sort of 'how stupid idea it was' since you mega bullish( yet somehow not active).. so it may work then ..lol

I do not have a position in this company anymore tomasz. Just amazed at the height the share price has got along with Asos. Just keep the thread going really. Good luck.

I forgot this is low beta and moving sooo slowly, should stay short with my baby asc , maga nice movement there today...:)

ok just got out at 4319..quick 60 pts is well enough..bye bye..:)

Next: Credit Suisse raises target price from 4450p to 4650p, but downgrades to neutral

good trade-buy lurking

Next Chairman to take over reins of easyJet Chairman
Tue 16 Apr 2013


Next Chairman to take over reins of easyJet Chairman LONDON (SHARECAST) - Chairman of fashion retailer Next, John Barton, is in talks to chair low-cost airline easyJet, Sky News reported Tuesday.

Barton has emerged as a contender to replace Sir Mike Rake, who retires this summer to become President of CBI, a business lobby group.

easyJet is yet to confirm a successor and insiders told the broadcaster at least one other person besides Barton is in line for the job.

"His is one of the names in the mix but it isn't the only one," a source said.

Another possible candidate is Charles Gurassa, the Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of easyJet.

The budget carrier is expected to make a decision as soon as this week.

Rake leaves following reports of company infighting with the airline’s founder and largest shareholder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Haji-Ioannou accused Rake of having to may corporate roles and being involved in the excessive pay culture at Barclays, where he is Deputy Chairman.

He had also called on the company’s management to reduce its investment in new aircraft deliveries and focus on improving shareholder returns.

The founder threatened to reduce his stake if the company placed a large order to expand its fleet.

If Barton is selected as Rake’s replacement, he would likely hand over his responsibilities at Next in a couple of years.

An easyJet spokesman declined to comment.

AnnuAl Report And Accounts
JAnuARy 2013


http://www.nextplc.co.uk/~/media/Files/N/Next-PLC/pdfs/latest-news/2013/ar2013.pdf

Director Declaration

RNS


RNS Number : 5704C

Next PLC

17 April 2013






Next plc

The Company has been notified that John Barton, Chairman of Next plc, has also been appointed as non-executive Chairman of easyJet plc with effect from 1 May 2013.



Mr A J R McKinlay

Company Secretary

Next plc

Good man - boss of Next gives his bonus to staff £2.4m as a thank you for the stores success through the recession.

NEXT Plc: 10 Years Of Market-Thrashing Returns
Fool.co.uk By Maynard Paton | Fool.co.uk – 4 hours ago..

Today I'm going to share with you a few lessons from one of the very best investing records of the last ten years.

I'll also point you towards an opportunity from Motley Fool Share Advisor that I've been told could outperform even this surprise master 'investor'!

Ten years of market-thrashing returns

Take a look at the following table. It shows a series of share purchases since 2004:

Year to January Price paid
2004 £9.61
2005 £14.44
2006 £14.49
2007 £16.61
2008 £19.74
2009 £13.74
2010 £20.36
2011 £20.50
2012 £23.21
2013 £32.13

The share in question currently trades at £43. Now I don't know about you, but I'd be chuffed with that sort of investment performance.

In fact, I calculate the compound returns from those purchases range from 13% up to 37% a year – which naturally knock the comparable performance of the FTSE 100 (FTSE: ^FTSE - news) into a cocked hat.

Sadly, it wasn't me who achieved those gains. Nor was it another ordinary investor. And it wasn't a City fund manager, either. In fact, it wasn't an individual at all. Those returns were actually achieved by a company -- Next .

A £2 billion buyback belter

You see, those share purchases reflect the share buybacks the fashion chain has made during the last ten years or so. My sums tell me the company spent more than £2 billion on share buybacks during the last decade, buying 126 million shares at an average price of nearly £18.

With the share price now £43, I think it's fair to say that £2 billion has since more than doubled in value. A 44% reduction to the share count has helped Next's dividend triple during the last ten years, too.

Lessons we can all learn from this surprise master 'investor'

After studying Next and its master buyback achievements, I drew a few conclusions for us Foolish investors:

1: No need to always look for new ideas

Next didn't waste its cash buying lots of different and unfamiliar companies to reward shareholders. Instead, it focused on investing in the business it knew best – its own.

That philosophy can work for us as well, as often you don't need to keep finding fresh opportunities to achieve superb returns. Sometimes, the best buying opportunities for new money may be familiar names already in your portfolio.

2: Develop some investing rules

Next followed a simple set of rules to ensure its buybacks were effective. In particular, its rules included using only surplus cash flow – and not taking on extra debt – to repurchase shares.

By developing a set of sensible guidelines, we too should become more efficient with our stock-picking. We could start by taking a lead from Next's rulebook, and track down companies generating surplus cash and not taking on extra debt.

3: Buy growth at a reasonable price

Even with quality shares, we should always take care not to overpay for future growth. Importantly, Next did not buy back its shares at any old price.

I reckon the company paid anywhere between 9 and 12 times near-term earnings, which seems very good value when you consider earnings per share have tripled since 2004.

Should you buy Next?

True, the multi-dip recession, the rise of online shopping and high rent levels have crippled many retailers of late. Yet Next has prospered and provided wonderful returns to those who spotted the group's progress and could look beyond the sector gloom.

So the question now I guess is… should you buy Next?

Well, I asked Nate Weisshaar, a senior analyst at Motley Fool Share Advisor, for his view... and he told me the shares presently trade at 13 times forecast earnings – and above the 9 to 12 range Next itself has found to produce handsome rewards for buyers.

So perhaps this share is one to put on your watch list, at least for the moment.

An opportunity that could outperform Next

Nate did disclose, however, that he preferred an alternative opportunity in the retail sector.

In fact, Nate claimed this particular alternative offered greater growth prospects, with its recent sales advancing 9% compared to just 3% at Next. He also told me the firm enjoyed a cash-rich balance sheet and that he rated its management very highly.

But could this alternative really outperform Next?

Well, Nate and his team at Motley Fool Share Advisor have just put their reputations on the line by recommending this alternative as one of their 'Best Buys' for April.

In the meantime, I've told Nate to keep an eye on Next and its buybacks -- as I'm sure this share could one day also offer an irresistible buying opportunity!

Share price surge makes Next third-biggest retailer in the UK

By Neil Craven, Financial Mail On Sunday

PUBLISHED: 22:44, 20 April 2013 | UPDATED: 22:44, 20 April 2013

A surge in the share price of fashion retailer Next has made it Britain’s third-biggest retailer.


Chief executive Lord Wolfson has defied the gloom with booming profits from the Next Directory catalogue and website.


Last week Wolfson handed his £2.4million bonus to 19,400 of his longest-serving staff – equal to one per cent of their salary on average.



Up: Next's shares have jumped by 43 per cent in the past year


It was seen as a unique gesture for a boss under no pressure to relinquish his bonus.


This weekend, Next’s stock market value was £6.9billion, behind Sainsbury’s £7.1billion – another good performance – and Tesco’s £29billion.

A year ago Next was the sixth-biggest behind Tesco, Morrisons, B&Q owner Kingfisher, Burberry and Marks & Spencer.


Next’s shares have risen 43 per cent in the past year.