Since entering the sector in 2000, Stephen Collins and his wife Yvonne have carefully developed their two nurseries and their teams and now believe they have a business model with the potential to grow by leaps and bounds.
With backing from private equity company Downing LLP, Gingerbread is about to open its third nursery in Merseyside and will be opening a fourth in January 2012. The backing it has secured provides the capital to potentially expand the group to ten settings, employing around 250 staff, within the next five years.
Mr Collins has prioritised a reputation for flexibility. 'We are open from 7am to 6pm, which makes a huge difference to the families who use us,' he says. 'We have given a lot of thought to making the nurseries as appealing and practical for parents as we can. They have responded very positively to the high-tech systems we have installed, such as internet viewing systems and biometric finger entry system. These will be carried across to our new nurseries.'
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