Ted Baker puts itself up for sale after third US private equity bid

Fashion chain attracts fresh offers as well as bids from the former Kurt Geiger owner Sycamore

Ted Baker has kicked off a formal sale process for the fashion brand after rejecting a series of bids from the US private equity group Sycamore Partners and others.

The company said it had received more than one unsolicited offer from third parties in addition to three bids from Sycamore, a group that previously owned the British shoe shop chains Kurt Geiger and Nine West and has recently been linked to a potential bid for the health and beauty chain Boots.