Ted Baker owner Authentic strikes deal to relaunch brand online

Ted Baker's owner and retail conglomerate Authentic Brands Group has announced a deal with its US partner to relaunch the brand as a pure-play online retailer later this year after its final bricks-and-mortar stores closed this week.

United Legwear and Apparel, which already runs Ted Baker's operations in North America, will operate Ted Baker's online operations in the UK and Europe starting this autumn

Authentic, which owns a long list of brands like Billabong, Reebok, Forever 21 and Hunter, bought Ted Baker back in 2022, but administrators were called in for its European operations earlier this year due to weak sales and rising debt levels.

The brand's most recent UK partner, No Ordinary Designer Label, collapsed in March, leading to the closure of all 31 stores in recent months.

Authentic said the partnership with ULAC "marks a significant milestone in the brand’s journey to restore its digital destination for its loyal consumers”.

Commenting on the deal, Jarrod Weber, Authentic's global president of sports and lifestyle, said: "United Legwear’s proven track record in translating global brands for the UK market makes them the ideal partner for expanding Ted Baker’s online presence in these important markets."