The nursery group, which already has a 200-place setting in the country, will open a further five settings in China this year, followed by another 27 by 2023, in partnership with its Chinese stakeholder - Oriental Cambridge Education Group (OCEG).
The ‘international pre-schools’ will be based in locations including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Xiamen. The setting in Shanghai will provide 230 places for children from three months to six years old.
The deal is expected to generate almost £75 million over five years in projected income for Busy Bees and OCEG.
Following the launch of Busy Bees’ first nursery in the city of Harbin, North-East China (pictured above and below), in September last year, the nursery group’s co-founder and president John Woodward was invited by the Department of International Trade (DIT) to the Prime Minister’s first trade mission to China, also attended by delegates from 49 other British businesses and commercial organisations. During the trip last week, Theresa May announced an expansion of education programmes with China, highlighting Busy Bees’ success in the country.
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