More than 100 shop workers in Bristol could lose their jobs if troubled retailers Zavvi and Adams close their stores.

Childrenswear retailer Adams, with stores in Broadmead, Yate and Weston-super-Mare, yesterday confirmed it was poised to go into administration after a creditor began proceedings against it.

The 75-year-old company – which employs about 20 people in the three stores – said a secured creditor had entered an application to appoint administrators. A notice of intention to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers was filed on Christmas Eve.

In a statement Adams, which is still trading, said: "The downturn in the high street retail market and the general tightening of the financial markets has adversely affected the financial position of the group."

Music chain Zavvi, which has stores in Cabot Circus, Broadmead and Cribbs Causeway employing a total of 85 people, fell into administration on Christmas Eve but is still trading.

Fashion retailer USC, which has a branch at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, went into administration yesterday, threatening a further 300 full-time and part-time jobs.

Administrator PKF said 43 of the company's 58 stores had been sold on to Dundonald Holdings Ltd, part of the same business as previous owner West Coast Capital, with the remaining 15 still trading as buyers are sought.

It was not clear last night whether the Cribbs Causeway store was one of those that had been sold.

Zavvi was crippled by the collapse of Woolworths' Entertainment UK wholesaling division.

EUK was the company's main supplier and its demise last month left Zavvi unable to take customer orders.

Administrators say all Zavvi's 125 stores would stay open as normal for the post-Christmas sales, while efforts to sell the business as a going concern continued.

But people given Zavvi gift vouchers for Christmas have been left fuming after the company's shops refused to accept them, asking customers instead to make a claim for their money back via administrators Ernst & Young.

The Post reported on Saturday that the first some customers learned of the problem was when they tried to pay at the tills of the company's stores.

Woolworths stores in the Bristol area have already begun closing down, resulting in hundreds of redundancies.

Stores in Broadmead, Kingswood, Yate and Weston-super-Mare shut their doors at the weekend while shops in Fishponds, Shirehampton and Clevedon will close today.

Stores at Filton, Hartcliffe, Bedminster and Clifton will close on Friday and the Nailsea branch will close on Monday.

The closures will lead to 529 redundancies in the Bristol area – part of 30,000 nationwide.

Deloitte, administrators for the stricken firm, said all stores would close by January 5 after failing to find a buyer for them.

Fellow strugglers Whittard of Chelsea and the Officers Club called in administrators last week but were immediately sold in rescue deals.

Bristol retail analyst Marcus George said: "To be honest, we could see at least four or five big retail chains go under in the New Year.

"Despite the news stories about people queuing, shoppers are staying away in droves.

"They're also using the internet to track down the very best prices for all sorts of things.

"Next week, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer will give trading updates but despite their big pre-Christmas sales, there won't be much joy – it's probably too little, too late."