North-west nursery group adds 14th setting
Friday, July 24, 2015
Just Childcare has acquired its 14th nursery, based in Blackpool.
The nursery group, which operates settings in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire, has bought 40-place Playdays Day Nursery.
Housed in a converted church, Playdays Day Nursery cares for children from birth to five, and employs 11 members of staff. The previous owner Phil Holmes made the decision to sell the setting due to impending retirement.
The acquisition, which was brokered by Christie + Co, brings the total number of nurseries owned by Just Childcare to 14, offering 755 childcare places.
At the beginning of the year, the nursery group acquired a further seven nurseries, three of which were part of a small chain, the others standalone settings. The nurseries are based in Blackpool, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester.
All of Just Childcare's nurseries are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.
David Johnson, chief executive at Just Childcare, said, 'We are very pleased with the progress we have made in the first six months of this year and look forward to extending our nursery offering to a greater number of parents over the next 12 months. Owners who know of our reputation have negotiated directly with us to acquire their nurseries in addition to some acquired via the specialist agencies.'
Nick Brown, associate director at Christie + Co, who handled the sale of Playdays Day Nursery, said, ‘There were some complications surrounding the sale of this nursery but working together with both the buyer and the sellers we were able to get this transaction agreed and completed. We are delighted to have been able to help Mr Holmes retire and also to work with a fast growing group such as Just Childcare who also have interests in numerous other nursery opportunities through Christie + Co.’
Just Childcare was established in 2004.The group's owners, Jacqueline and David Johnson, have over 65 years combined experience within childcare and education.
This month, the nursery group raised £500 to pay towards treatment in America for a six-year-old boy who attended one of the settings and has been battling a brain tumour since he was just 12 months old.
