Community
Our approach
Next believes it is important to develop and maintain healthy and positive relationships with the local communities within which we operate. We aim to make a positive impact on our local communities by contributing to their wellbeing through a programme of support achieved by offering donations of funding, products or the time and expertise of our employees.
With over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland we continue to focus our resources on projects that support the communities in which we operate. Our aim is to help make a difference, so we look for opportunities to identify and develop new relationships to be able to increase the number of organisations and charities, of all sizes, we are able to support with a donation that is of most benefit to them. In addition to our direct community contributions, we also support charities by organising fundraising events on their behalf which allows the charity to attract additional funding at the event as a direct result of the support they have received from Next.
As well as supporting communities in the UK and Ireland, we have started to work with overseas organisations to help provide a positive contribution to support local communities. We know donations make a difference, but training and the development of skills lasts much longer. Our aim is to combine social and economic development with real business opportunities. We want to help people to be able to take control of their lives by helping to provide the opportunities they need to develop and be in control of their own future.
To ensure we can measure and monitor our overall community investment, we calculate the value of our nonfinancial contributions gained from products donated from within the business. This figure is added to our financial contributions, to arrive at the total sum contributed for the year.
Our charity and sponsorship programme is made up of donations to :
Registered Charities - we have offered support
to 388 charities of all sizes during 2008 who have asked for
contributions to support, for example, children; care for the sick
and people with disabilities; medical research and community
support.
Individual requests/ local and national groups and
organisations - we are able to help groups and
organisations who do not have charitable status through these
donations. We also respond to requests from individuals and small
groups who are then able to benefit from our support.
Commercial Support and Sponsorship - we offer
commercial support and sponsorship to a number of organisations
which provides Next with the benefit of raising awareness of our
brand. We also support local sporting teams of all ages, especially
where there is direct employee involvement with the team.
PROGRESS ON OPPORTUNITIES FROM 2008 REPORT
KEY
=
Achieved
=
Ongoing/on track
= Not
commenced
| Opportunities identified in 2008 | Status | How we have progressed |
| Increase the range of products we sell that support charities | |
Achieved. |
| Continue to deliver value through our community contributions and support for charities and other organisations | |
Achieved. |
| Investigate opportunity to maximise use/value of unwanted product that are returned through our perations | |
Achieved. |
To view the full section on Community click here