As the retailer wins a landmark eight-year case, People Management explores what HR should consider when setting and reviewing wages
9 September 2026
UK retailer Next has won an appeal allowing it to continue paying warehouse workers a higher basic rate than store staff in its long-running equal pay battle.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has overturned a key part of a 2024 ruling that found Next had failed to justify paying warehouse workers more for work of equal value.
The case began in 2018, when more than 3,500 predominantly female current and former store employees brought equal pay claims covering pay between 2012 and 2023. Further claims have since taken the total number involved to more than 6,000.
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The EAT found that recruitment and retention pressures provided a legitimate reason for the higher warehouse rates.
A Next spokesperson told People Management the decision was a “landmark victory” on the “key issue of basic pay”.
“In this case, Next had to pay a higher market rate to warehouse operatives because of recruitment and retention pressures, which did not apply to the workforce in its stores,” the spokesperson said.
However, the EAT did not overturn findings relating to night-time and overtime premiums and paid rest breaks.
Next intends to seek permission to appeal...
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