ABC Learning Centres, the world's largest nursery provider, has bought Nord Anglia's nursery division Leapfrog for 31.2m through its UK subsidiary Busy Bees.
Leapfrog's 88 nurseries will be merged with Busy Bees' nurseries to create the UK's largest group with 134 settings and around 12,500 places. ABC bought Busy Bees for £70m last year - its first step into the UK sector.
The acquisition also gives Busy Bees the opportunity to expand its fast-growing nursery voucher business. Nord Anglia's nursery division had been under-performing, with low occupancy rates in many of its nurseries, and it will now concentrate on its international schools and learning services divisions.
For the full story and analysis, see Nursery World magazine published on 23 August.
