A struggling fashion brand’s final stores in Sussex shut after it was announced that its remaining high street shops are to be closed. Ted Baker will close all its remaining 31 branches which include the brand’s Gatwick Airport stores by end of day on Tuesday. The business behind the fashion brand’s UK shops, No Ordinary Designer Label Limited, fell into administration in March.
More than 500 jobs are at risk as a result of the closures, this is in addition to the further 245 staff made redundant since it went into administration. Other stores that have closed include Belfast, Portsmouth, Regent Street (London) and four stores in Heathrow Airport. Authentic Brands, the US-based firm behind Juicy Couture and Reebok which is still the owner of Ted Baker’s intellectual property, said that despite “tireless efforts” it could not “overcome” the financial issues the business faced.
It was hoping to find a new partner to run the Ted Baker retail and online business in the UK and Europe. The brand previously had a store in Dukes Lane in Brighton , but this has closed. The collapse of the UK stores could mark the end of its position on high streets, after being founded in 1988 by Ray Kelvin, who opened his first shop in Glasgow.
It is recognised for its patterned and floral clothing. Ted Baker had also flagged economic challenges in recent years, having faced weaker consumer demand and difficulties in its supply chain, after being among the luxury retailers to take a hit during the Covid pandemic. The UK website has also been pulled, and customers told it is “not taking orders right now”, and that they have 14 days to return orders made online.
However, the brand is currently still sold through department stores and retailers such as John Lewis and House of Fraser. Ted Baker continues to have more than 30 licensing partners globally that are unaffected by the UK and Ireland administration, including in North America, Asia and the Middle East..
