Fashion and homewares retailer Next has reported a growth in second quarter and first half sales.

According to its latest trading update for the 13 weeks to 26 July, NEXT full price sales were up +10.5% versus last year. This was +£49m ahead of its guidance for the period of +6.5%.

Next said that sales overperformed in both the UK and overseas due to better than expected weather and trading disruption at a major competitor in the UK market, while International sales grew faster than expected, due to its digital marketing proved more effective than anticipated, enabling the retailer to increase profitable marketing expenditure.

Total UK sales were 7.8% in the period, with retail store sales up 5.6% and online sales rising 9.5%. For the Half Year period, covering 26 weeks, total sales rose 10.9% against the comparative period, with UK sales up 7.6%.

“We are increasing our guidance for full price sales in the second half from +3.5% to +4.5%,” Next said. “This adds a further £27m of full price sales to our forecast.

“The increase in sales in Q2, along with our improved sales guidance for H2, means that we are increasing our full year guidance for profit before tax by +£25m to £1,105m.”

Next added that it expects UK employment opportunities to “continue to diminish as we enter the second half, with the effects of April’s National Insurance changes continuing to filter through into the economy as the year progresses. We believe that this will increasingly dampen consumer spending as the year progresses.

“In the UK, we believe we exceeded expectations in Q2 as a result of better summer weather and trading disruption at a major competitor. We do not expect either of these factors to have a material effect in the second half, and so we are not increasing our guidance for UK sales in H2.”