A major clothing brand, which has a site in the North East, is set to close its doors immediately.

Ted Baker - which has a concession sites in Darlington, Newcastle and York - has announced the closure of its final 31 branches.

The designer clothing chain will shut their North East concession stands and stores: 

  • Binns Concession, Darlington
  • John Lewis Concession, Newcastle
  • Fenwick Concession, Newcastle
  • Ted Baker Outlet, York

All shops are expected to have been shut down by the end of the day on Tuesday (August 20), after the company behind the fashion chain collapsed into administration in March.

Nationally, more than 500 jobs are at risk as a result of the closures which will see its stores disappear from high streets.

Founded in Glasgow in 1988, by Ray Kelvin, the brand started off as a men’s clothing label styled on Kelvin’s self-named alter ego, based on an "intrepid aviator, an all-round sportsman and the consort of princesses and Hollywood beauties."

After furloughing nearly 2,000 employees – around 75 per cent of their workforce – during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ted Baker was a struggling business. In March 2024, their UK branches entered administration.

By March, the number of UK stores had fallen from 192 in 2018, to 86.