Administrators have announced the closure of approximately 350 Clinton Cards stores employing 2,800 people.
The retailer collapsed into administration on May 9 after failing to find a buyer for all or parts of the business.
Administrators at Zolfo Cooper said the group had made losses of £130m since 2004.
A Zolfo Cooper statement said: “Since their appointment, the joint administrators and their teams have been working to assess and stabilise the company’s financial position with a view to preserving value and seeking to sell the business as a going concern.
“In the course of this work it has become clear that the business is burdened with an untenable retail estate and as such, the joint administrators have regrettably taken the decision to close approximately 350 stores from the total estate of 784 stores nationwide.
“The stores in question are located throughout the country and employ approximately 2,800 full-time and part-time staff.
“They include all stores branded as Birthdays and approximately 200 Clinton Cards branded stores.”
Store locations have yet to be confirmed but the closure programme will begin next week and continue into June.
Joint administrator Peter Saville said: “Given the sheer size of the Clinton Cards retail estate and the overall performance, we were left with no alternative to today’s difficult decision.
“I am hopeful that the action we have taken will allow us to preserve value in the core underlying business, thereby allowing us and potential buyers to focus on a profitable and viable retail estate going forward.”
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