Next is a British multinational
clothing, footwear, and home products retailer, which has a headquarters in
England. It has around 700 stores, of which 500 are in the United Kingdom and
200 in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
The United Kingdom's largest
clothing retailer by sales is Next, which has overtaken Marks & Spencer in
the last two years. It's listed on the London Stock Exchange and is included in
the FTSE 100 Index.
History:
The company was founded in Leeds in
1864 by Joseph Hepworth as a tailor under the name of Joseph Hepworth &
Son. Initially, Hepworth was in partnership with James Rhodes, but the
partnership were ended in 1872.
A pioneer of the development of
chain stores in Britain, Hepworth expanded the company rapidly on his own. By
1884 there were 100 outlets for the company.
In the 1960s, Hepworth was
predominantly in the ready-to-wear suit market. In 1963, it brought in the
celebrated Savile Row designer Hardy Amies to revitalise its ready-to-wear suit
collection.