With Ted Baker stores set to close across the UK, what did consumers make of the brand?

According to news reports, Ted Baker plans to shut all of its 46 UK locations in a matter of weeks. This follows an earlier round of store closures  after the brand’s holding company entered administration earlier this year.

If Ted Baker does leave the nation’s high streets, it may be missed. With Impression scores – which measure general positive or negative sentiment towards a brand – at 15.4 as of our most recent data, it’s more well-liked than the average fashion chain (10.8).  It’s also perceived to be greater quality (more than double) than the average chain (27.3 vs. 12.0 for the sector).

But there are key areas where it is perceived to be lacking. Value for Money scores for Ted Baker (-5.8) indicate that the brand isn’t offering customers as much return on investment compared to the average fashion brand(3.2). At a time when (according to YouGov Profiles) 77% of Britons say they’re trying to be more careful with their finances than they once were, this may be a tough position for a mid-market retailer to be in.

Value for money isn’t the only measure where Ted Baker struggled. Service quality may not have been where it needed to be – Customer Satisfaction scores (8.8) track slightly below the sector average (9.9). But looking at our Consideration metric, where we ask consumers to pick brands they’d contemplate using out of a list, may reflect concerns in outlets such as The Drum about the brand’s ability to stand out from the crowd: at 7.6, Ted Baker underperforms the sector average of 9.3.

Ted Baker’s seemingly imminent departure from the high street may not mean a complete disappearance from the nation’s shelves (the brand is still sold in House of Fraser and John Lewis). Nevertheless, the end of its tenure as a dedicated UK fashion chain may illustrate the scale of the challenge facing similar fashion brands in today’s retail environment. 

This article originally appeared in City A.M.