Next Wins UK Employment Tribunal's Backing in Gender Discrimination Dispute Over Basic Pay

09:30 AM EDT, 09/07/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissed claims that Next (NXT.L) engaged in gender discrimination by paying its warehouse workers higher basic pay than its shop assistants. The ruling confirmed that Next had a "justifiable" reason to pay its predominantly male warehouse employees more, due to recruitment and retention pressures that did not apply to its customer-facing workforce, the clothing retailer said Monday. Next, which previously won equal-pay challenges related to bonuses, noted that a "small number of other terms," such as paid rest breaks, in the ongoing litigation were not overturned in its favor. The company intends to lodge an appeal in relation to those terms.