The group, established in 1983, is one of Britain's largest care providers, with 4,000 childcare places at 54 sites. Managing director John Woodward said last week that flotation was being considered 'because we have been in the sector a long time'. He added, 'We're looking at the next stage of development and it may be a float.'
Mr Woodward said flotation was 'an opportunity to raise money that is not as costly as the private-equity market'.
Mr Woodward predicted Busy Bees would continue to grow through acquisitions, developing new sites and through the major expansion of its corporate childcare voucher scheme, set up four years ago. The annual value of its vouchers has leapt from 2m to 25m in just two years, and the group runs voucher schemes for NHS health trusts and companies including Asda, Boots and Littlewoods.
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