It feels like traditional, high-street clothing retailers have been staring down the barrel for some time. The ‘squeezed middle’ is not a phrase reserved for the supermarket sector anymore, and juggernauts such as Next (NXT) still face a considerable challenge to win over the cost-conscious consumer this year. That’s despite a chipper Christmas trading update, where a 1.5 per cent increase in full-price sales far outstripped the projected 0.3 per cent decline.
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