Next chief tangled in his own Web

NEWS Retailer, Next has snubbed online clothes shopping, while simultaneously announcing a 9.3 per cent fall in profits. Next finance director, David Keens reportedly referred to people who shop on the Web as 'sad', claiming that nobody wants to spend hours downloading pictures of blouses online. Keen's statement follows on the heels of a survey by software consultancy, Quidnunc, which reveals that none of the UK's top 20 retailers are truly ready for ecommerce. Laurence Holt, chief executive of Quidnunc, said: "This shows that they just don't get it. It is bad for Next shareholders and bad for UK retail." Holt was particularly critical of Next for blaming a 36 per cent fall in catalogue profits on slow print schedules. "On the Web, you can change your whole inventory overnight if you want to," he said. Next's catalogue business recorded the worst results in the group. Ironically, the company is launching a Web site. However, it will be designed so that customers will have to consult their paper-based catalogue first, before entering code numbers onto the site to forward them to the company. According to the Quidnunc survey, Next's online offering scores a measly four out of a possible 44 points for usability and functionality.