Ted Bakers Managing Director, Ray Kelvin started his first store in 1988 in Glasgow, quickly followed by Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. Initially Ted Baker exclusively offered mens dress shirts and offered dry cleaning with every shirt they sold. Ray had limited funding available, so rather than advertise, he relied on word of mouth and the creation of a personality to anchor the brand. As a consequence, Ted Baker grew more sussessful as a brand (dry cleaning no longer offered as label grew). Two years later, a store in Covent Garden opened and Kelvin brought the company outright from part-owners Gadberry & Sons. Additional stores in Soho, Nottingham and Leeds opened in 1994.