How refreshing - albeit it slightly strange - it was to learn this week that Next, the high street and catalogue retailer, has bought Lipsy, a fashion brand for young women, for £17.4m.
Now I don't claim to be a fashionista , but Next, headed by Simon Wolfson, needed to do something to improve its Next-appeal among younger shoppers.
Last month, it reported a drop in like-for-like sales of six per cent over the six months to July, and seems to do homewear better than it does clothes. Admittedly, I would not have paired Next with Lipsy - think salmon-wrap blouse over bubble-hem corset dress - but business is business.
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