Up to 2,000 retailing jobs are under threat as Adams, the embattled children’s clothing chain, is poised to go into administration, the latest casualty of the decline of Britain’s high streets.

The 75-year-old retailer, which has about 260 stores, including Adams Kids, its own-brand outlets, has applied to the courts to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as administrator. PwC is likely to be appointed within the next few days, although neither the accountant nor Adams was able to set out a precise timetable last night.

As well as trading through its own stores, Adams has hundreds of additional distribution outlets and makes clothes for Boots, the private-equity-owned pharmacy chain.

It is the second time in two years that Adams has been brought to the brink of collapse.

Its demise marks the latest evidence that this year’s Christmas trading has been the harshest in living memory, despite shoppers’ interest in the bumper discounted sales that began in earnest on Boxing Day. It comes amid forecasts that the rout on the high street has only just begun.

Begbies Traynor, the insolvency expert, predicted only days before Christmas that up to 15 retail chains would crumble by the middle of January, threatening thousands more jobs and thrusting unwanted shop space on to the market.

PwC has already calculated that 4,000 empty shops will appear on Britain’s high streets if only 10 per cent of the nation’s retailers hit financial problems over the next 12 months.

Zavvi, the music retailer caught up in the Woolworths’ crisis, filed for administration last week, putting about 3,400 jobs in jeopardy. At the same time, The Officers Club, a menswear retailer, and Whittard of Chelsea, the chain of specialist tea shops, called in administrators. Between them, the two companies employ more than 1,800 staff.

PwC presided over a so-called “prepackaged” administration for The Officers Club, which was put straight into the hands of a new company backed by David Charlton, the chief executive. About 32 of its 150 stores will close. Ernst & Young, called in to Whittard, similarly sold its 130 stores to Epic, a private equity firm.

Woolworths, the first and most high-profile victim yet of the crisis in retailing, shut down a quarter of its 800 stores on Saturday. Hundreds more will be forced to close on January 5 if administrators for the stricken retailer cannot find a buyer.

Woolworths’ descent into administration means that more than 27,000 jobs hang in the balance. Staff were in tears as the stores, once a national favourite, closed their doors for the last time across the country.

It is not clear whether PwC will be able to orchestrate a rescue for Adams, although it was suggested yesterday that Boots might be interested in buying the struggling company.

Meanwhile, John Lewis reported that sales had reached a record £21.3 million on Saturday, when it started its clearance sale, with discounts of up to 50 per cent on end-of-range goods.

The department store retailer said that bargain-hunters seeking good deals in womenswear and technology for the home had helped to improve sales on the day by 7 per cent compared with the same time last year. A spokeswoman emphasised that John Lewis had offered similar discounts last year and was not being bumped into deeper discounts by the sharp downturn.

“It has certainly been a very challenging year, but we are used to it now. We have been through this before in other recessions,” she said.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive