Ted Baker turns its hand to interior design

By Neil Maidment

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - Not content with producingquirky jackets or floral cut dresses, British clothing brand TedBaker has made a move into interior design with 'Tedstyled' apartments.

The firm said on Tuesday it had signed a deal with propertygroup THAT BCL, majority owned by Ted Baker's founder and CEORay Kelvin, to provide a trade mark licence and design servicesfor the development of apartments in Bournemouth, southwestEngland, in return for a 250,000 pound ($377,000) fee.

Under the agreement Ted Baker will craft the interior of 15luxury penthouse apartments in a development anchored by twoHilton Hotels in the seaside town. Rooms could be kitted outwith furniture designed by Ted Baker or selected by the firm.

Ted Baker's finance chief Lindsay Page is also a shareholderand director of THAT BCL, which focuses on mixed-use city centreprojects in the south of England. Kelvin, who owns almost 36percent of Ted Baker, is THAT BCL's principal equity provider.

Ted Baker has enjoyed a strong period of sales growth bothin Britain and overseas where it has ramped up expansion inrecent years. The firm often tests new areas of business, withaudio equipment and crockery two of its more recent productions.

Shares in Ted Baker are up 22 percent on a year ago to 2,593pence, valuing the business at around 1.1 billion pounds.

($1 = 0.6631 pounds) (Editing by Mark Potter)