High street greeting cards retailer Clinton Cards has placed its 332-store Birthdays subsidiary into administration.
Clinton Cards appointed Zolfo Cooper as administrator to Birthdays – which comprises Birthdays Limited and Thorpalm Greeting Cards Limited – on 20 May.
Zolfo Cooper said that Birthdays had incurred ongoing trading losses for some time and, although its sales performance had been improving, it had required a “significant” amount of support from its parent company.
It added that the current economic uncertainty and the structure of Birthdays’ business meant that there was little prospect of the chain generating a profit in the near future.
Clinton Cards and Birthdays’ Irish subsidiary have not been placed into administration and both will continue to trade as normal.
Peter Saville, partner at Zolfo Cooper, said: “I would like to reassure customers that it is business as usual for Birthdays and we will be continuing to trade while we explore all options for the business.
“We remain hopeful of securing the future of the business despite the harsh trading environment being experienced by all retailers at present.
“These stores have a strong brand identity and are predominantly situated in excellent retail locations and there are still plenty of opportunities to succeed on the high street.”
