Zolfo Cooper has been called in to act as administrators for Birthdays, the greeting card retail chain owned by Clinton Cards.
The subsidiary chain, with 223 outlets, has made annual losses of £7m. Over 2,000 jobs are at risk.
The Birthdays outlets will continue to trade while the administrators look for a buyer for all or part of the business. Birthdays' Irish operations have not been placed into administration.
Birthdays' sales had been decreasing for several months before the move into administration mainly due to falling consumer spending as a result of the credit crunch.
Clintons acquired the Birthdays chain in November 2004 for £46.4m, with the aim of expanding its presence on the high street.
Clinton Cards was founded in 1979 and with 692 Clinton Cards it is Britain's largest specialist greeting card retailer.
