Ted Baker announces closure of all UK stores amid struggles

Ted Baker, the struggling fashion chain, is on the brink of disappearing from British high streets as it plans to close all its stores within weeks. The company that operates the UK shops of the fashion brand, No Ordinary Designer Label Limited (NODL), went into administration in March.

Since then, 15 UK shops have been closed, resulting in approximately 245 redundancies. As reported first by the Sun newspaper, staff at the remaining stores have been informed they will be made redundant when the stores close within three weeks.

However, it's understood that these plans are not yet finalised despite the communication to employees. Prior to insolvency, Ted Baker had 46 UK stores and employed around 975 people.

Authentic Brands, the US-based firm that owns Juicy Couture and Reebok, still owns Ted Baker's intellectual property. They were hoping to find a new partner to manage the Ted Baker retail and online business in the UK and Europe.

The closure of the UK stores could signal the end of its presence on high streets, having been established in 1988 by Ray Kelvin and known for its patterned and floral clothing. Nevertheless, the brand continues to be sold through department stores and retailers such as John Lewis and House of Fraser.

It is believed that Ted Baker struggled during the pandemic and faced growing challenges as more customers moved towards online shopping. A number of stores across the country have already closed, including locations in Bridgend, Belfast, Sheffield, and Manchester.

It follows a growing trend in high-street stores closing their doors, including the most recently announced Careptright which was bought out by rival Tapi recently. However, Carpetright confirmed it will close down more than 200 stores in the UK and slah 1,000 jobs.

Despite this, administrators said the deal will save more than 308 Carpetright jobs.