AGM Statement

Next PLC
13 May 2003



Date:           Immediate release, Tuesday 13 May 2003

Contacts:       Simon Wolfson, Chief Executive
                David Keens, Group Finance Director
                NEXT PLC
                Tel:  [phone] (13/05/2003)
                Tel:  [phone] (thereafter)

                Alistair Mackinnon-Musson
                Philip Dennis
                Hudson Sandler
                Tel:   [phone]
                Email: [e-mail]



                                    NEXT PLC

                    Annual General Meeting Trading Statement


Current sales performance

Sales in the first fourteen weeks of this financial year are:

NEXT Retail - 15% ahead of the previous year.

NEXT Directory - 13% ahead of the previous year.

Taken together, sales for the NEXT Brand are 14.5% ahead of the previous year.


NEXT Retail like-for-like sales

Like-for-like sales in the 289 stores that have been trading for at least one
year, and that have not benefited from capital expenditure of more than 2% of
their annual turnover, are 1.3% ahead of the previous year.

Included in the 289 stores are 27 stores that, as anticipated, have been
directly affected by new store openings and extensions.  Underlying sales in the
262 stores which have not been affected by new space are 3.2% ahead of last
year.

Share buyback

Over the last three years we have repurchased for cancellation 26% of our issued
share capital.  This has resulted in significant enhancement to earnings per
share, our key measure of financial success.

On 1 February 2003 NEXT plc had 286.7 million ordinary shares in issue.  Since
then we have continued with our policy of buying back shares and have purchased
a further 9.2 million shares at a total cost of £75 million, leaving 277.5
million shares in issue as at today's date.

The Group's borrowings are funded through a five year bank facility which was
arranged in 2002.  It is intended to refinance part of this through the issue of
a sterling bond in the near future, subject to market conditions.



David Jones, CBE
Chairman

13 May 2003


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