Mary Portas at Next Denounced by the boss of Next, Mary Portas pronounces on one of his shops Good for making progress in service and product Bad for being still a little bland in parts for my taste The Government has now delivered its verdict on my proposed rescue plan for the British high street and, I'm pleased to say, has accepted virtually all of my recommendations. During my research, most of the major retailers recognised the need for action and, despite some early misgivings, gave what became known as the Portas Review a gentle thumbs-up. With three notable exceptions. Theo Paphitis (he of Dragons' Den) told a business website that he wouldn't be taking advice from a 'window dresser who has never run a shop'. I was more surprised by the attitude of the CEO of Majestic wine, Phil Wrigley, who wrote off our high streets as 'irrelevant'. I had always had Majestic down as a modern, customer-focused business, so I would encourage Mr Wrigley to put a sod the high street and shop here instead poster in his window, and then watch his customers' reactions. But the most vocal opposition came from the chief executive of the fashion chain Next, the Conservative life peer Baron Wolfson of Aspley Guise. His initial reaction to my appointment - 'I am not enthusiastic to get involved... I prefer to do my bit through action rather than reports' - soon turned into something much more negative once the scale of my proposals became clear. He took particular exception to my recommendation, rejected by the Government, to put a safety valve in place to ensure that any large, new, out-of-town shops had the blessing of local communities - he called the idea 'downright dangerous' and 'insane in the current climate'. You get knocks in public life - it's part of the deal - but I felt that Wolfson's stance was far removed from what people actually want. Next has big plans, but not on our high streets: there are 19 big new Next department stores in the offing, following the trial of a huge out-of-town concept store in West Sussex. I'm in Manchester, so I've decided to pay Lord Wolfson's shop in the Arndale Centre (in the centre of town) a surprise visit. The windows I've visited this enormous 80,000 sq ft store before, almost six years ago to the day. Back then, I gave its window display 'nul points'. Today, the windows were sharper, the graphics stronger and the general merchandising more confident. Promising. Shopability Womenswear is on the top floor, men's on the middle, with a vast home floor downstairs. The women's fashion is undoubtedly the strongest department here, with lots of pops of bright spring colour. Men's is good too, with some impactful displays of mannequins in preppy blazers and coloured chinos. There are some great shoes in both departments - I loved the strong men's casual brogues and was impressed by a pair of snakeskin high-heeled espadrille sandals. On the downside, there's a dodgy city tailoring display with three London, New York, Tokyo clocks (none of them working), and the home floor is cold and soulless. The surprise of the day? Next now sells perfume (all the famous names) and own-brand sweets by the cash tills. The staff here looked and sounded the part. Smart girls in elegant blouses and coloured skinny jeans gave the impression of knowing exactly what they needed to do to deliver their numbers to Lord Wolfson. Verdict What I've got to say about Wolfson's business is, I hope, more constructive than what he has to say about mine. It would be churlish (and unfair) of me to throw mud back at Next simply because its CEO doesn't like what I have to say about the future of retail. The company's recent results have been good so people are clearly shopping here. And, whatever he thinks, I actually don't give a monkey's about Next's out-of-town stores, just as long as the communities that they serve actually want them there and they don't hamper the opportunities for recovery and reinvigoration in the surrounding towns. I would urge Next's boss to take a close look at the number of communities bidding for a share of the £1 million on offer for them to become one of 12 pilot towns to test my proposals, and then decide whether he still thinks they are mad. I know there are retailers who believe in this project, and who understand the role of high streets as anchors of our communities. Next has the cash reserves and national reach to play a significant role in the future of our high streets. I genuinely hope it does. Next Arndale Centre, Manchester Visited Wednesday, 2pm Number of stores 550 What they sell Fashion and homeware Website next.co.uk Simon Wolfson, chief executive