Staff face anxious wait as Clinton Cards goes into administration

Clinton Cards was forced into administration by its the biggest supplier American Greetings leaving staff at Clinton Cards in Bow Street Mall and Birthdays in Bow Street facing an uncertain future.

It is thought the administrators will continue to run the stores as normal while seeking a buyer, but Zolfo Cooper, administrator for Clinton Cards, warned it was likely that “a number of stores” will need to be closed to make the business viable.

There are 14 Clinton Cards stores in Northern Ireland and 16 Birthdays outlets, but the company couldn’t confirm how many people it employed in total in Northern Ireland.

The move came after its banks - Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland - sold the company’s £35 million of loans to American Greetings.

It is the latest casualty in a wave of closures and stores going into administration that has rocked the country’s high streets.