Next sales online jump in the last quarter leaving the high street giant on track for £1 billion of profits next year, a level few UK retailers have ever matched. Sales were up 5.7% in the quarter to April 27 and it expects profits this year of £960m. Next offered a typical warning about the near future: “We expect the sales performance in the second quarter to be weaker than the first quarter because last year benefited from particularly warm weather from late May through to the end of June,” it said in a statement to the City. Online sales rose 8.8% while in-store sales were flat. That was better than the market was expecting, the seventh time in a row when Next has topped market expectations. Chief executive Simon Wolfson said recently that he was more positive about consumer sentiment than he has been for years. He said in March: “If you look at where we are today, compared to any of the last seven years, the headwinds are just not nearly as strong,” Next, along with arch rival Marks & Spencer has dominated the mid-market for retail, ,a space where others such as Ted Baker and Superdry have...