Next’s full-year sales rose 10.8% to £7.0bn. Within that, its UK Online and Retail channels grew by 10% and 2% respectively. Overseas sales grew at a much faster pace of 40% to £1.3bn.
Pre-tax profit rose by 14.5% to £1.16bn, helped by an uptick in margins.
Free cash flow rose by £0.1bn to £1.1bn. Net debt, including leases, was broadly flat at £1.7bn.
In the coming year, full-price sales are forecast to rise by 4.5%, and pre-tax profits are expected to grow by 4.5% to £1.21bn.
A final dividend of 181p per share was announced, taking the full year total up to 268p, up 15%. More than £0.5bn of cash was also returned to shareholders through share buybacks and special dividends.
The shares rose 6.4% in early trading.
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This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by LSEG. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.
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