The fortunes of the 20 biggest nursery groups appear to be in limbo with no major acquisitions or mergers to report and no new entries to the league table for our winter 2006 issue.
The total number of childcare places provided by the 20 biggest nursery groups stands at 57,916 places, up a mere 84 places from our summer issue.
This compares to a combined total of 57,342 places in the table which appeared in the November 2005 issue.
Reflecting the lack of movement, all the big names have retained their positions in the top ten.
Leapfrog Day Nurseries is still market leader despite a loss of nearly 1,000 places in the past 12 months. It has closed ten nurseries and lost 750 places since the summer issue of Nursery Chains.
Leapfrog's managing director Simon Cashmore resigned in September and a trading update released by the company noted the 'exceptionally difficult market'. There are also rumours that Nord Anglia, which owns Leapfrog, is on the verge of a buy-out. It has been approached by investment company Principle Capital Partners, which has a 24 per cent share in the business.
Meanwhile, although it has not expanded, Asquith Nurseries has kept its second position in the table, with 115 settings and a loss of just 35 places over the past six months.
Just Learning, in third place, has added a new 100-place nursery in Bexleyheath in London.
Since our summer 2006 issue, just two of the top ten groups have made significant increases to the number of places or nurseries they operate.
The Childcare Corporation, which remains in tenth position, has added three new nurseries, increasing its places by 322 and bringing the total number of places on offer to 2,085. It also has two more nurseries in the pipeline for the end of the year.
Chairman Alan Bentley said the fact that the Childcare Corporation, unlike many of the other big nursery groups, was not financed by venture capitalists had 'helped enormously' in growing the business. He added, 'We never intended to be the biggest nursery chain, we've just grown in the areas we wanted to grow.'
Meanwhile, in fourth place, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has opened six new nurseries and added 385 places.
Despite a loss of around 300 places, Busy Bees has maintained sixth position and has plans to open nurseries in partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust and the NHS in Birmingham over the coming year.
There is very little change for the groups in the bottom half of the table either, with most chains keeping their positions or dropping one place.
Primary Steps has dropped two places to number 14 after losing 149 places, mainly from two of its nurseries.
However, there is good news for the burgeoning market for formal childcare in Ireland, reflected in the continuing success of Giraffe Childcare and Early Learning Centres.
This new entry to the league table in June has leaped up to 12th position from number 18. The company now has 14 settings in and around Dublin and offers 1,491 places with plans for a further six.
Finally, Happy Days Nurseries in Cornwall could soon be jostling for position with the big players. It has ambitions to grow to at least 1,500 places by this time next year. The group, currently at number 19, has 17 nurseries offering 908 places and a recently opened training academy. It also plans to work within the NHS and intends to open more sites in Devon.
UK and Ireland's 20 largest nursery chains
Position Nursery chain Places SETTINGS 2006 (2006)*
1 (1) Leapfrog Day Nurseries 8,813 88
2 (2) Asquith Nurseries 6,731 115
3 (3) Just Learning 6,455 73
4 (4) Bright Horizons F S 5,872 101
5 (5) Kidsunlimited 4,708 50
6 (6) Busy Bees 3,837 48
7 (7) Buffer Bear 2,502 39
8 (8) Child Base 2,401 32
9 (9) Teddies 2,140 35
10 (10) The Childcare Corporation 2,085 21
11 (11) Ravenstone House 1,581 13
12 (18) Giraffe Childcare & E L Centres 1,491 14
13 (13) Pre-school Learning Alliance 1,481 30
14 (12) Primary Steps 1,354 30
15 (14) CfBT Education Trust 1,335 15
16 (15) Treetops Private Day Nurseries 1,282 18
17 (16) Wind in the Willows 1,113 17
18 (17) Toad Hall Nursery Group 949 16
19 (19) Happy Days Nurseries 908 17
20 (20) Happitots 878 12
*Figures as of 30 November 2006 and 30 June 2006
