By C. Perera, JadeTimes News
The remaining 31 Ted Baker stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are set to close this week, putting over 500 jobs in jeopardy. All locations are expected to be shut by the end of Tuesday.
The company managing Ted Baker's UK operations, No Ordinary Designer Label , went into administration in March of this year. Following this, 15 stores were closed in April, leading to the loss of 245 jobs. One analyst described the brand's downfall as a "long running corporate car crash."
Clive Black of Shore Capital lamented the situation, calling Ted Baker's journey from success to failure a "rags to riches to rags story" in British fashion, and noted that this is a "dark time" for those facing unemployment.
Before entering administration, Ted Baker employed approximately 975 people in the UK, operating 46 stores alongside its e commerce platform and department store concessions. Currently, NODL employs 513 people across Ted Baker stores and the head office.
The intellectual property rights to Ted Baker are owned by the US based Authentic Brands Group, while NODL served as the holding company for the brand in the UK. When NODL went into administration, Authentic Brands Group cited "damage done" during a partnership with another firm as being "too much to overcome."
In April, administrators mentioned that Authentic Brands Group was engaged in discussions with potential UK and European operating partners for the Ted Baker brand. However, according to a report from Sky News on Sunday, negotiations over a potential future licensing partnership have stalled.
Ted Baker, which started as a menswear brand in Glasgow in 1988, eventually expanded its presence with stores across the UK and the United States, as well as licensing agreements for outlets in Asia and the Middle East. However, the brand has struggled in recent years, beginning with the resignation of its founder Ray Kelvin in 2019 following allegations of misconduct, which he denied. His successors, Lindsay Page and chairman David Bernstein, also resigned the following year after a profit warning.
Clive Black noted that despite Ted Baker's modern and aspirational image, it never fully recovered from the misconduct allegations, leading to a prolonged decline. Retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth added that the brand's long term success was undermined by a "lack of investment combined with disappointing sales," causing consumers to lose interest and making its "ongoing survival difficult."
The 31 stores set to close are located in Ashford, Bath, Belfast, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, Braintree, Brent Cross , Bridgend, Cannock, Cheshire Oaks, Dublin, Grafton Street, Gatwick North, Gatwick South, Glasgow Buchanan Street, Gloucester Quays, Heathrow T2, T3, T4, and T5, Kildare, Livingston, Luton, Manchester Shambles, O2 Outlet, Portsmouth, Regent Street , Sheffield, St Pancras Stansted, Swindon, White City , and York.
Ted Baker's licensing agreements for stores in Asia and the Middle East remain unaffected. On Sunday, the brand's UK retail website displayed a message reading "Goodbye for now," indicating that it was not processing orders and giving customers 14 days to return items.
