The acquisition of Teddies, the seventh largest nursery chain in the UK with 32 settings, will increase the number of Bright Horizons-owned settings to 147, and its total number of childcare places to 9,271.
Its closest rival, Busy Bees, has 132 settings but offers 11,598 places (Nursery Chains, Autumn 2008).
Bright Horizons has been named as one of the 50 best workplaces in the UK by the Great Place to Work Institute and the Financial Times in the past three years of 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Mark Ellerby, managing director of Bupa Care Services, the former owner of Teddies, said, 'Teddies is an excellent business with a highly motivated and well-trained team providing high quality childcare. We believe it has a greater opportunity to continue to grow and thrive as part of a group whose core business and focus is childcare and early years education.'
Bupa Care Services first announced its intention to sell Teddies Nurseries in July 2004 but sold only nine of its 44 settings (News, 29 July 2004).
Bright Horizons has pledged not to cut nursery staff and to ensure a smooth handover for Teddies employees, and families who currently use Teddies nurseries. Teddies' managing director, Carole Edmond, will join the new group.
Stephen Kramer, managing director of Bright Horizons, said, 'We plan to keep all 32 Teddies nurseries open and will be retaining all jobs at the settings. The nurseries will keep the Teddies name, but we will be co-branding them with Bright Horizons.
'We were very excited at the opportunity to buy Teddies nurseries, as they are high-quality settings in excellent locations.'
THE TWO NURSERY GROUPS IN NUMBERS
BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS
Established: 1998
Settings: Owns/manages 115 nurseries
Places: 6,974
Employees: 2,135
TEDDIES
Established: 1991
Settings: Owns 32 nurseries*
Places: 2,297
Employees: 598
* as of 1 May 2009
Figures as of 30 September 2008, from Nursery Chains, Autumn 2008
