Next lifts growth forecasts after strong first half

High Street giant Next has lifted its guidance for the full year after a strong first half, though it said that results over the last six months have been flattered by easy comparatives.Total Next Brand sales for the 26 weeks to July 26th were 10.7% ahead of the same period the previous financial year, of which 2.4% came from the opening of new space.Retail sales were 7.5% higher, while Directory sales jumped 16.2%.The company, which had guided in April to full-year sales growth of 5.5-9.5%, now predicts growth of 7-10% for the 12 months to January 2015.Next said: "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."As well as an improved sales outlook, the company also now expects profit before tax to total £775-815m this year, up 11-17% year-on-year. Previous guidance was for an 8-14% improvement.BC