Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, a Next spokesperson claimed that the closures will be counteracted by new sites opening.
They explained: “There’s nothing new in Next closing and opening stores – it has done it every year, for years and years… as leases come to an end, for instance, or stores moved around and the portfolio mix changes.
“The thing to watch is not the total store numbers, but the amount of space that Next trades from. Several smaller stores might be shut – but bigger ones then open to replace them…”
Although 11 will shut down, the net change to store numbers is only five because of six new openings and reconfigurations to physical stores.
