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Next appoints Primark’s Steve Coates as new menswear product director

Next has appointed Primark’s menswear director Steve Coates as its new menswear product director, according to reports. Drapers has reported that he will succeed Giles Vinning,…

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Next appoints Primark’s Steve Coates as new menswear product director

18 August, 2026 | by Angela Beevers

Next has appointed Primark’s menswear director Steve Coates as its new menswear product director, according to reports.

Drapers has reported that he will succeed Giles Vinning, who is retiring after working with Next for over 24 years and holding a buyer position at George at Asda, and product manager roles at Reiss and Paul Smith.

Meanwhile, Coates has worked with Primark for over 12 years, initially as head of buying for menswear, before moving to his current role in 2023.

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Prior to that, he served as buying manager at George at Asda and worked with Next once before as a senior buyer.

Earlier this month, Next raised its full year guidance after posting a 9.2% increase in full-price second quarter sales, which meant they were £70 million ahead of forecast.

The retailer is now expecting annual full-price sales to increase by 6.3%, and has upped its full-year pre-tax profit guidance to £1.243 billion from a previous guidance of £1.218 billion.