Editing Next plc (section)

===Recent history===
In September 2018, the company's Irish operations profits were separated from Next plc.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/0925/995928-next/ |title=Next creates Irish firm as part of no-deal Brexit plan |date=25 September 2018 |publisher=[[RTÉ]]}}</ref> Next (Ireland) Ltd was formally established to focus on the distribution of products in its physical stores and its online store in the Republic of Ireland. At the same time Next Germany was established.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/next-sets-up-new-irish-company-to-avoid-brexit-customs-and-duties-1.3640687 |title=Next sets up new Irish company to avoid Brexit customs and duties |first=Fiona |last=Reddan |newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref>

In November 2022, it was announced Next had acquired the [[London]]-headquartered furniture retailer, [[Made.com]] - which (in the same month) had gone into [[Administration (law)|administration]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Lauretta |date=2022-11-09 |title=NEXT acquires collapsed furniture retailer Made.com |url=https://www.theindustry.fashion/next-acquires-collapsed-furniture-retailer-made-com/ |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=TheIndustry.fashion |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In December 2022, the company entered into a joint venture with Tom Joule to buy The Joules Group out of administration for £34 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/01/next-picks-up-collapsed-fashion-chain-joules-from-administration|title=Next rescues Joules from administration, saving 100 shops and 1,450 jobs |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 December 2022|access-date=6 December 2022}}</ref> Tom Joule retained 26% of the equity in the business.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eley |first=Jonathan |date=2022-12-01 |title=Next buys Joules out of administration for £34mn |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ff294222-3838-4b43-93dd-4019f6b443f2 |access-date=2023-08-23}}</ref> 

In March 2023, it was announced Next had acquired vintage fashion and homeware retailer [[Cath Kidston Limited|Cath Kidston]] out of administration for £8.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/economics/article/cath-kidston-bagged-by-next-for-8-5m-dp56zrsx5|title=Cath Kidston bagged by Next for £8.5m|first=Helen|last=Cahill|date=28 March 2023 |via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref> The acquisition meant Next had bought the brand name, domain names and intellectual property, but remaining stock was to be sold off by administrators and the four Cath Kidston stores (London, York, Ashford, Cheshire Oaks) were to shut.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/next-snaps-up-another-struggling-retailer-as-it-pays-8-5m-for-cath-kidston-12844329|title=Next buys Cath Kidston for £8.5m - resulting in job cuts |newspaper=Sky News |date=28 March 2023|access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref>

The company makes use of [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] [[Xinjiang internment camps|forced labour]] provided by the [[China]]-based supplier, Beijing Guanghua Textile Group, according to research of the Helena Kennedy Center for International Justice, the [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|socialists and democrats in the European Parliament]] and further institutions published in December 2023. <ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.shu.ac.uk/-/media/home/research/helena-kennedy-centre/projects/eu-apparel/eu-tailoring-responsibility-february-24.pdf |title=Tailoring Responsibility: Tracing Apparel Supply Chains from the Uyghur Region to Europe |date=December 2023 |publisher=Uyghur Rights Monitor, the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, and the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights |year=2023 |pages=20 |language=En}}</ref>