has been struggling for some time, officially falling into administration on 22 March. Since then, 25 head office roles have been cut and resulting in the loss of around 120 store jobs. The company’s touts its “very clear, unswerving, focus on quality, attention to detail and quirky sense of humour”.
The gold standard of business intelligence. However, a catalogue of things have gone wrong for the Ted Baker brand, including a CEO controversy, reneged financial commitments, and a shift in consumer purchasing preferences. So far, it would seem that its dedication to quality, detail and humour haven’t been enough.
Things start to go wrong The company’s difficulties began in December 2018, when founder and former CEO Ray Kelvin was , as well as other inappropriate comments and behaviour. A resulting on campaign site Organise to “scrap the forced ‘hugs’ and end harassment at Ted Baker” garnered over 2,500 public signatures and prompted Kelvin to take a voluntary leave of absence. He officially stepped down in March 2019.
Of this episode, GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders tells : “The brand lost much of its oomph and innovation when founder Ray Kelvin left the business, and it has struggled to regain its position as an interesting fashion brand.” Since then, Ted Baker has been what Saunders describes as “a brand in decline”. Lindsey Page was appointed in April 2019 to steady the ship but resigned in December 2019 alongside brand chairman David Bernst.
