Frasers Group close to deal for Ted Baker retail

None of the parties involved are commenting, but as of Wednesday afternoon, it looks like Frasers Group is getting closer to a deal to take on Authentic Brands Group’s Ted Baker retail operations in the UK and Europe.

The opportunity has arisen after the collapse of No Ordinary Designer Label (NODL), Ted Baker’s UK licensing partner, which had been run by licensee AARC.

Retail industry sources told Sky News that Frasers and NODL’s administrators “hoped to reach agreement on a deal in the coming days”.

If it happens, it continues the Frasers tradition of snapping up distressed brands and working to turn them around. It’s a process that doesn’t always end in success (as the recent Matches administration showed), but also one that has seen properties such as Gieves & Hawkes, House of Fraser, Jack Wills and more come under the Frasers umbrella and revamped.

Frasers Group has now been named as the preferred partner for Ted Baker, we’re told. 

The NODL business came under the control of administrators at Teneo following its collapse in March as Authentic’s previous partner retail AARC reeled in the face of a tough environment and a cash crunch.

Ted Baker was sold to Authentic in spring last year with the new owner setting about changing its business model and operating via a number of major partners globally. It also split the functions that had been controlled from the UK with partner PDS establishing the Ted Baker Design Group (TDG) as the brand’s global hub for design and innovation. That operation is ongoing. Meanwhile AARC became the distribution partner for the UK and Europe but quickly ran into problems as the environment for fashion retail deteriorated.