Nursery World - Happy Times finds owner

One of the largest nursery groups in the UK has bought the former Happy Times nursery in Fulham, London, just two months after its sudden closure last December (News 3, December).

Treetops Nurseries, which has 20 settings, mainly based in the Midlands,has acquired its first London setting with the purchase.

Managing director David Hancock told Nursery World that the move was thegroup's 'first tentative' step into the capital.

He said that while Treetops' long-term goal was to expand to 40nurseries, 'our view in terms of expansion is to be rather choosy aboutwhere we go. There are factors about how we can bolt it on to Treetops.If we were to buy a smaller group, that might be easier than expandingone nursery at a time.'

The 170-place Fulham nursery is spread over three floors and has 'astate-of-the-art kitchen that Gordon Ramsay would be proud of', said MrHancock, and a hi-tech lighting system that reacts to sunlight.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included