Sales for Next in the 26 weeks to July 26 are up 10.7%, ahead of the 5.5%-9.5% full year growth guidance given in April.
Good sales growth was seen in both retail and catalogue sales for the company. Retail sales grew by 7.5%, while sales for Next Directory rose by 16.2%.

Of the 10.7% sales growth seen for the whole company, 2.5% of the growth came from the opening of profitable new space.

As a result of the strong growth already seen by the retailer, it is raising and narrowing its sales guidance range for the whole year to between 7% and 10%.

The retailer commented: "It might appear overly cautious to forecast a full year sales range which is below our current rate of growth. However, last year's first two quarters were hampered by a particularly cold spring and Easter which presented a soft comparison for this year."

Next is also raising its profit guidance by £25m from a range of £750m-£790m, to a range of £775m-£815m, which reflects the company's confidence.