Latest blow for Belfast’s Victoria Square complex as Ted Baker store closes

Ted Baker’s store at Belfast’s Victoria Square has closed with the retailer set to disappear from high streets in Britain and Ireland by Tuesday evening.

It comes five months after the fashion chain collapsed into administration.

Administrators closed an initial 15 shops in April, shedding 245 jobs.

Ted Baker had 46 stores and employed around 975 people prior to the insolvency.

The fashion business was founded by Ray Kelvin, who opened his first shop in Glasgow in 1988, and the brand’s clothing and accessories are widely recognised for their patterns and florals.

Its future was put at risk when the firm behind its UK shops, No Ordinary Designer Label Limited (NODL), collapsed into administration in March.

A different American company, Authentic Brands, which owns Ted Baker’s intellectual property, said that despite “tireless efforts” it could not “overcome” the financial issues the business faced.

Authentic blamed the process on “damage” done during a partnership with Dutch company AARC Group, and the “significant level of arrears” that had built up during the association.

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.

Some 513 employees across the UK and in its head office, and 78 in the Republic, are expected to be affected by the remaining closures.

The remaining closures include Ted Baker’s outlets in Kildare and Dublin’s Grafton Street.

Staff working at the 31 remaining stores were told last month that they will lose their jobs when the shops close.

Ted Baker’s Belfast store has already closed.

It comes just 12 months after the retailer renewed its lease at Victoria Square.

It’s the latest blow for the city centre retail complex following the loss of fashion retailers Tessuti, H&M, River Island and Craghoppers.

Apple is also expected to leave its flagship unit at Victoria Square in the coming months for the nearby development The Keep.

Ted Baker’s 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.

Authentic previously said it was hoping to find new UK and European operating partners to run the Ted Baker brand, which is currently sold through department stores and retailers such as John Lewis and House of Fraser.

There had been reports that a licensing partnership could be struck with Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, but it is understood that the two companies are no longer in talks.

Authentic, the US-based firm also behind global brands including Juicy Couture and Reebok, bought Ted Baker for £211 million in 2022.

It did not comment on the confirmation of shop closures this week.

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.