A Subsidiary Company in a European Union Country Essay

A Subsidiary Company in a European Union Country - Essay Example But currently, the industry has become multinational with a giant turnover. The clothing industry is among the most competitive and also most profitable ventures. It provides employment opportunities directly and indirectly to millions of people worldwide. Currently, in the United Kingdom some of the leading clothing companies include Aquascutum, Aston Bourne, Austin Reed, Barbour, Bertie.co.uk, Elvi, Dorothy Perkins, Monsoon, I Love Cashmere, Next, and countless others. The competitive environment in this industry is very high because of the enormous number of clothing companies in the market. Clothing companies have various challenges they experience which include increased expenses for operating costs and raw material. When the global economy weakens, it affects the clothing industry majorly because people tend to not purchase new clothes. The effects have been seen whereby some industry players do fallout during these periods. But when the economy strengthens the industry also improves. Rapid fashion and trend changes and changing customer preferences can also pose a significant challenge to the industry. Next, a clothing company in United Kingdom headquarters in England, designs, manufactures and supplies clothing, footwear, and home accessories. It has over 700 stores spread across the globe. Next boasts 200 stores in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Other 597 stores are found in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Next was founded in the year 1964. It has approximately 54,507 employees (2013). In the year 2013, the company recorded a profit of  £508.6 million. Next plc’s business strategies include developing and upgrading Next products, improving the company’s financial strength by promoting secure financing structure and increasing the number of online sales globally.