Jobs blow as Clinton Cards fold and fears for Pebbles
UNCERTAINTY surrounds the future of another two businesses in Portadown, while a third has been saved from closure.
On Wednesday, Clinton Cards, which has a large unit in High Street Mall facing onto High Street, announced it had been placed in administration.
The company, which owns Birthdays, also has two store in Rushmere Shopping Centre, and employs more than 8.000 staff across its 767 UK stores.
Meanwhile, the shutters have been down on popular West Street boutique Pebbles for around three weeks now, prompting concerns that it, too, may have closed although no formal announcement has been made. No-one from the shop has been available for comment.
However, there was good news for staff of the Hallmark Cards shop in Market Street which is to remain open after a period of uncertainty. The Portadown Times understands that a deal was reached to negotiate new terms of a lease for the premises.
Clinton Cards, which was founded in 1968 and is the biggest card retailer in the UK, was placed in administration after its largest supplier American Greetings pressed for repayments that the company could not meet.
Clinton had already asked for trading in its shares to be suspended before the administration announcement.
In March, the card giant reported a loss of £3.7m for the six months to the end of January and said the outlook for 2012 was worse than previously thought.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portadown
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
