Nursery World - Leaps & bounds

The corporate nursery field is set for more change as the major players expand, buy, sell and merge. Alison Mercer reports This year has seen an unusually feverish period of activity among the biggest nursery chains. In May and June, US-based provider Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BHFS) bought a Scottish group, Red Apple Day Nurseries, and Kinder-quest, the UK's biggest provider of workplace nurseries. The acquisitions made BHFS the fourth largest provider in the UK and Ireland - evidence of exceptionally fast work, since the company only entered the UK market in June 2000. Then Busy Bees trumped even that, buying Kindercare Childcare Centres to become the UK number two. So can the market keep up the pace?

This year has seen an unusually feverish period of activity among the biggest nursery chains. In May and June, US-based provider Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BHFS) bought a Scottish group, Red Apple Day Nurseries, and Kinder-quest, the UK's biggest provider of workplace nurseries. The acquisitions made BHFS the fourth largest provider in the UK and Ireland - evidence of exceptionally fast work, since the company only entered the UK market in June 2000. Then Busy Bees trumped even that, buying Kindercare Childcare Centres to become the UK number two. So can the market keep up the pace?

There is a general consensus in the sector that the leading chains are racing to build up the necessary critical mass to float on the Stock Exchange - which would make further funds available for expansion. However, this does not apply to BHFS, which is already publicly listed in the US.

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