The Next DIY store

Retailers’ brand extensions may work better as high street standalones than catchall behemoths.

Last week, genteel Shoreham-by-Sea, on the West Sussex coast, was the location for a new format from Next. Dubbed Next Home and Garden, this is the latest brand extension from the clothing, homewares and furniture retailer and it was pretty much what the name might suggest - all of the usual Next wares with a gardening and DIY offer appended to it.

It was proving a hit with local shoppers to the extent that the adjacent Tesco store was, apocryphally, complaining and issuing threats about its car park being used by Next shoppers who were unable to find a space outside the new store. What it perhaps showed was that none of us are immune to novelty and that if something genuinely different appears, then we may well jump in the car to take a look.

What it also brings into focus are the limits of high street brand extension. Given that Next started with clothing, then moved into the home, a stroll into the garden might seem logical. And there’s a branch of Starbucks in the store as well, so the cappuccino classes can sample a frothy caffeine-based drink after they’re done.

All of which seems perfectly sensible and those with long memories may recall how Croydon was the venue, more than a decade ago, for the splicing of a coffee bar with a branch of Abbey National (long before it became an outpost of a Spanish bank). At the time this was also considered comment-worthy and the good people of that town could be seen relaxing, while paying in or withdrawing.

But are there limits to all of this and at what stage should you put up your hands and say we need to be better at what we do, instead of looking at new and sometimes seemingly unrelated areas to colonise?

The supermarkets have, of course, led the way with insurance, banking and TVs all available alongside orange juice and a dine-in feast for a tenner. But how far do we want our high streets to emulate this? Admittedly, the Next store is an out-of-town shed in semi-high street clothing, but would it be acceptable if it were, say, in the centre of York? Possibly not, but hiving off brand extensions that can then serve as standalones may be a way forward. When therefore, will we see the first Next power tool and DIY store? It’s only a matter of time and will probably be better than most of what’s out there. And if you want to know more about Next Shoreham, look in Retail Week on Friday.