LONDON – Authentic Brands Group continues to reshape the Ted Baker business: On Wednesday, it appointed United Legwear & Apparel Co. to manage e-commerce operations for Ted Baker in Europe and the U.K., where all remaining physical stores had to close earlier this month as negotiations with Fraser Group for a potential U.K. operations takeover reportedly fell through.
A new website, Tedbaker.com, is to debut this fall.
A longtime partner of ABG, the owner of Ted Baker’s intellectual property, United Legwear is also one of the three licensees helping relaunch the Ted Baker business in the U.S. and Canada.
As reported, it will design and manufacture Ted Baker men’s sportswear, golf, and denim categories and be responsible for all wholesale and concession shops, as well as operating the Ted Baker e-commerce site in the U.S. and Canada.
“Consumers value and appreciate the Ted Baker brand and its British style,” said Jarrod Weber, global president of sports and lifestyle at Authentic. “We have had a strong start to our partnership with United Legwear and we couldn’t be more pleased to have a solid partner to continue Ted Baker’s story in the place where the brand began.
“United Legwear’s proven track record in translating global brands for the U.K. market makes them the ideal partner for expanding Ted Baker’s online presence in these important markets. Together, we are focused on executing a digital commerce strategy that ensures Ted Baker’s distinctive products continue to find their way into the closets of discerning consumers worldwide,” he added.
Chris Volpe, chief operating officer at United Legwear, said the company’s goal is to create “a seamless and engaging online shopping experience that exceeds the expectations of Ted Baker’s customers. We are confident that this relaunch will reignite excitement for the brand and set the stage for a bright and prosperous future.”
Ted Baker this year has been hit with restructing on both sides of the Atlantic as Authentic presses the reset button on the brand.
In March, Authentic placed Ted Baker’s U.K. and European retail and e-commerce businesses into administration six weeks after a relationship with a local partner turned sour. That led to the closure of 15 stores and 245 jobs cut in the U.K., and the eventual shuttering of its all retail operations in the region.
Authentic had signed a partnership deal with AARC in April 2023 to operate Ted Baker’s 120-plus retail stores and concessions, and the brand’s online business. According to Authentic, AARC failed to meet its financial obligations and was swiftly removed as a shareholder in the Ted Baker business.
In late April, the Ted Baker Group, composed of Ted Baker Canada and Ted Baker Inc., along with OSL Fashion Services Canada and OSL Fashion Services Inc., a Canadian firm that specializes in retail operations, distribution and digital marketing, filed court-supervised restructuring proceedings and appointed Alvarez & Marsal Canada as the “monitor” of the business and financial affairs of the company.
At the same time, the Ted Baker Group filed Chapter 15 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York. That designation is a motion to recognize the proceedings from a foreign country, in this case, Canada. Its staff — 380 people in the U.S. and 280 in Canada — were terminated, its 34 stores started to liquidate. The e-commerce site was also shuttered.
Ted Baker was founded by Ray Kelvin in 1987 and for decades was a recognizable brand on the British high street with its quirky, colorful take on the season’s trends. However, Kelvin resigned in 2019 amid staff complaints about inappropriate physical contact (which he always denied), and the company went on to face a series of crises. In the subsequent years, it posted a string of profit warnings and suffered accounting and management troubles.
