Fashion retailer Next cashed in on the festive spending boom as sales surged.

The group, which has shops in Banbury and Oxford, saw sales in the 23 weeks to January 5 soar 22 per cent above the same period the year before, while like-for-like sales growth was nine per cent.

Mail order sales through Next Directory were also up 20 per cent.

The figures come four months after Next reported a 15 per cent jump in first-half profits, to £93m.