A report from Laing and Buisson, Children's Nurseries 2004, says the market is now worth 2.66bn. Total capacity in the sector increased by more than 13 per cent in 2003, with 12,075 day nurseries in the UK providing 537,450 places for children aged under five. But the total number of children attending nursery each day was 482,250 and the vacancy rate rose from 14 per cent to 15 per cent over the year.
Author of the report, economist Philip Blackburn, said, 'The rise in vacancy rates for the second year running indicates that growth in nursery capacity is not being fully met by higher demand. If this trend continues, undesired excess supply will build up and put pressure on the sector's sustainability.'
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