article_snippet: Sales at Next grew 7.2 per cent last year, to £4 billion, while Sales at Next’s predicted that clothing sales at Marks & Spencer will have drooped like so many Per Una gypsy skirts when figures are announced later this week.
article_snippet: I loved Next, the brainchild of George Davies, when the brainchild of George Davies launched in 1982.
article_snippet: the brainchild of George Davies gave us the revolutionary Next Directory in 1988, a classy precursor to online shopping, and of course in 1998 pioneered selling fashion online, becoming the largest
article_snippet: Now, though, I find its success troubling: its survives and conquers through bargain-basement prices, undercutting Marks by scrimping on quality.
highlights_snippet: Sales at Next grew 7.2 per cent last year while Sales at Next’s predicted Marks & Spencer's clothing sales will have dropped .
  
highlights_snippet: Next conquers through bargain-basement prices and scrimping on quality .
  