(Reuters) - British fashion retailer Ted Baker Plc reported higher retail sales in the holiday period, helped by a surge in online demand and said an investigation into reports related to the conduct of its founder were progressing.
The company, which was founded in 1988 and has more than 500 stores and concessions globally, said on Wednesday that retail sales for the five weeks to Jan. 5 rose 12.2 percent, with an 18.7 percent jump in e-commerce sales.
In December, the company's CEO and founder Ray Kelvin decided to take a voluntary leave of absence while allegations about his conduct, related in part to his habit of hugging business colleagues, were investigated.
(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)
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