Next Directory sales were up 13 per cent.
Seymour Pierce analyst Richard Ratner said: 'With Easter and a pick-up in the weather in the past month, the headline like-for-like number has improved, but Next certainly has been in the poorer performing area of clothing this spring - a lot to do with a relatively uninspiring range.'
Total combined sales for Next Retail and the Next Directory were up 8.2 per cent for the period from January 29 to May 13 compared with the same period last year.
In the group's full-year results released in March, overall pre-tax profit was up 5.8 per cent to£449.1 million, however like-for-like sales were down 2.4 per cent.
Starting this month, Next is testing a new shop fit in six new stores and two existing shops. If successful the new format will be rolled out to other stores.
Today's AGM marks the retirement of Next's long-serving chainman David Jones.
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