Ted Baker announces new territory licence deals

British fashion and lifestyle brand Ted Baker has entered into new territory license deals in the Middle East and North Africa and Indonesian as it looks to enhance its digital and asset-light growth.

In the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Baker has extended its current agreement with the Al-Futtaim Group for retail, alongside new wholesale and e-commerce rights for the region.

The new Al-Futtaim agreement means that the Middle East and North Africa will be Ted Baker’s first full omni-channel territory operated by a licence partner, with complete integration of the retail, e-commerce and wholesale channels.

The enabling of full omni-channel services is a key pillar of the group’s transformation plan, added Ted Baker in a statement, alongside the launch of a new e-commerce platform from the end of Q1 2021 as it looks to create an “even better customer proposition”.

Regis Schultz, retail president of Al-Futtaim, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Ted Baker. Having worked closely with the brand over the past years, we recognise the power of their brand and are confident that we will move it up to the next level with a multi-channel sales approach, keeping the customer at the heart of our business”

Ted Baker extends retail, wholesale and e-commerce licence agreement with Al-Futtaim for the Middle East and North Africa region

Al-Futtaim has operated the retail licence in the Middle East and North Africa for 13 years. The retail group currently has 24 Ted Baker stores and concessions across Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Ted Baker adds that it hopes that granting the e-commerce and wholesale rights to Al-Futtaim, alongside the retail will “bring all revenue streams together and further strengthen the customer experience of the Ted Baker brand in the region”.

The British retailer added that customers will see specific benefits including an alignment of pricing and promotions across channels, and an improved e-commerce proposition with shorter delivery times, and ship-from-store and click-and-collect services.

Ted Baker signs new retail licence with PT Mitra Adiperkasa (Map) in Indonesia

In addition, Ted Baker also signed a new 10-year retail agreement on February 16 with PT Mitra Adiperkasa (Map) for the Indonesian market. Map has secured the retail and selective digital rights for Indonesia and has committed to an ambitious store and concession opening plan as well as selling Ted Baker products via selective online platforms in the region.

Map is a leading lifestyle retailer in Indonesia with over 2,600 retail stores and a portfolio of over 150 of the world’s leading brands, and Ted Baker states that the expanded distribution will “build brand awareness in the Asian region” alongside the five other licence partners and the group’s China JV.

Ratih Darmawan Gianda, vice president investor relations, corporate communication and sustainability at Map Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with Ted Baker, a company world-renowned for its stylish and sophisticated offerings. We believe the brand will complement our diverse portfolio and will further unleash the power of Map’s 360° retailing strategy. We are committed to supporting Ted Baker with the same dedication and passion that we have demonstrated to each of our brands.”

Licence partnerships are a key component of Ted Baker’s three-year transformation plan which has been designed to deliver a more profitable, more cash generative and higher return on capital employed business.

Following these new licence agreements, Ted Baker will have 17 retail licence partners and 20 product licence partners across the globe.

Helen Costello, group commercial and business development director at Ted Baker, added: “We are delighted to be signing these agreements with Al-Futtaim and Map. Having worked with the Al-Futtaim team for many years, we know they have an excellent understanding of Ted Baker and our customers. Al-Futtaim’s experience also means that they are particularly well placed to fully realise the significant growth potential from the accelerating consumer shift to online channels in the region.

“Map is the leading retail expert in Indonesia, and they have the right team and experience in place to build on the strong foundations that are already in place. It is a testament to the strength of our brand that we continue to partner with the leading experts in their relevant categories across the world.”

Images: courtesy of Ted Baker