Next please. No, really. Next shop please, this one's cack (Next)

Member Name: jamesontheroad

Product:	Next
Date:	02/01/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: On every high street, and worn in every 'spoons.

Disadvantages: Worn in every 'spoons.

(This review focuses on Next's menswear only. I can't speak for womenswear, as I can't even maintain attention when my own girlfriend shops for clothes...)

In 2001, the marketing chief of Topman got himself in a bit of hot water when he said that "...very few of our customers have to wear suits to work. They'll be for his first interview or first court case."

Nice. You can't buy better marketing than that. And if said marketing chief ever worked for Next, he'd probably suggest that those same young offenders shop at Next when they're on the look out for something special on a Friday night (en route to any offense that might land them in court, perhaps).

I've followed Next's high street offering for some time now, but rarely shop there other than during clearances or the January sales. As I right this, much of Britain's retail sector is in dire fear of credit crunch bankruptcy, and following a visit to two Next's today, I can smell the fear. Somewhere along the line, the menswear department seems to have lost the plot: there are simply too many cheap shots at appealing to the Wetherspoons wide boy. Mish-mashed fabrics and textures, hopelessly clueless logos and statements printed or sewn onto cheap garments. It's hard to find anything that looks like it will look good in two years. And like many fashion chains, the store's ambience is not helped by a bizarre excursion into cheap homewares and own brand gadgets. It's not a surprise to see these forming the bulk of the discounted stock during a desperate 2009 January sale.

Sorry Next, but as I grow older I'm growing further and further away from your menswear selection.

Summary: New direction needed for menswear.