Ted Baker announces sudden death of chairman John Barton

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 6, 2021

John Barton, the chairman of fashion and lifestyle retailer Ted Baker, has died suddenly. Helena Feltham, senior independent director, will assume the role of interim chairman with immediate effect.

In a statement made by chief executive Rachel Osborne in a filing to the London Stock Exchange, she announced “with great sadness” his “sudden death” on Monday morning.

Osborne added: "John was a source of great wisdom for me and for so many of us at Ted Baker and we will hugely miss his support and guidance. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his wife, Anne, and their family.”

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The veteran businessman, aged 77, was appointed non-executive chairman of Ted Baker last year. He was also the former chair of high street fashion giant Next (where he was closely involved with one of the UK’s most successful fashion retailers). More recently, he chaired budget airline easyJet.

Indeed, Barton spent 15 years on the Next board. He joined the retailer as a non-executive director in 2002, becoming its chairman in 2006. He retired from Next in 2017.

Simon Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, told The Guardian newspaper: “John was a wonderful, wise and deeply perceptive man whose calm good sense was rarely too far ahead of his wry sense of humour. He held the respect and deep affection of those around him. I will miss him, as will his many friends at Next.”