The company said that in the six months ending 24 December, sales for its Next Directory and Next Retail businesses were up by 2.8% compared to the same period in 2005.
Next Directory, the online and catalogue arm of its business, experienced a 9% increase in sales, while figures for its retail division were up by 0.8%.
For this reason, said the company, profit forecasts are likely to be slightly above city predictions, within the range of between £463m and £473m.