Next PLC (LSE:NXT) said the first quarter of 2025 was better than expected and hiked its profit guidance for the full year.
Full-price clothing sales in the 13 weeks to 26 April rose 11.4% compared to a year ago, versus the previous target of 6.5% growth.
The FTSE 100 group said that this £55 million of over-performance was the result of warmer weather, which saw many people buying summer clothing earlier than they might have normally done.
Next said it believes this will act as a drag on sales in the second quarter, so it has not tweaked its sales guidance for the rest of the year.
But it is still raising its outlook for group pre-tax profits for the full year by £14 million to £1.08 billion.
The clothing chain reiterated its March caution about sales growth in the second half, where comparative numbers from 2024 were much stronger, while it also expects the effects of higher employers' costs from National Insurance increases to hit the wider economy.