Next eyes up luxury handbag brand Radley

Next is in discussions with advisers of Radley’s owners about a potential acquisition that would see the former acquire the latter’s brand and intellectual property and assets, Sky News has reported.

Next has joined turnaround investor Gordon Brothers as a potential suitor for Radley, with the brand currently in what it called “reset mode” following several challenging years.

Sources said that any deal for Radley could be implemented through a pre-pack administration, although Sky News reported that the outcome of any sale process is some way from being determined.

Should Next acquire Radley, it would mark the latest in a string of brand deals the fashion giant has struck in recent years.

In January, it reached a deal for Russell & Bromley, salvaging the shoe brand future but marking the end of its high street store presence.

Next has also acquired Cath Kidston, Joules and maternity wear retailer Seraphine in recent years, which it has added to its stable that includes online furniture brand Made and fashion brand FatFace.

Radley most recently posted a £2.2m loss for the year to April 2025, while its sales in the US fell to £65.8m from £72m in the same period.

By contrast, Next has largely avoided the doom and gloom surrounding the UK high street, having posted a rise in year-on-year sales and profits for the year to January 31, 2026.

However, chief executive Simon Wolfson has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East would have a material impact on the business.

“We’re three-and-a-half weeks maybe into this conflict. If three-and-a-half weeks into the conflict in Ukraine you were asked to predict the outcome, you wouldn’t have had a chance of knowing,” he said last month.

“Where we are today, assuming [the war impacts] persist in the next three months, we think that we’ve already offset that with cost savings and margin gains.”