A 20-strong nursery group with settings in the south-east of England is the highest entry in the league table of the UK and Ireland's 20 biggest nursery groups, published this week in Nursery World's summer issue of Nursery Chains.
The Casterbridge Care and Education group is in 12th place, following the merger of chains Dolphin, Hatton Hill and Saplings, and several acquisitions. The group has also opened two new-build nurseries.
Casterbridge director Tony Hurran told Nursery World, 'We have all the advantages of being a group while retaining individuality. We've "de-branded". We think it's important to link with the local community.'
Mr Hurran said that each nursery has its own name and logo, but gains from the stability and the benefits of being part of a large group, such as investment in training and having a group chef to oversee nutritious meals at the nurseries.
He said the company is investing 3 per cent of its revenue in developing training and quality. 'We want to make sure we're at the forefront of qualifications. We're developing a training programme with people at every level.'
The latest Nursery Chains includes details of more than 160 nursery groups across the country, ranging in size from three or more settings to the largest groups in the UK and Ireland.
Also listed for the first time is Bright New Minds, which was set up last year and includes fives sites previously owned by Leapfrog. It now has seven nurseries in Surrey and Berkshire offering 400 places.
Meanwhile, the end of the Government subsidy for neighbourhood nurseries appears to have taken its toll on the fortunes of some groups. Wind in the Willows completed a deal last month on the sale of a Merseyside neighbourhood nursery to a local provider as 'a going concern'. But low occupancy forced it to close down several of its other neighbourhood nurseries.
Director Brian Pearce said, 'The company is in a situation where we're trying to do our best in the areas where demand is appropriate. Demand didn't rise as quickly as planned. You can't run a nursery at a fees level that people using neighbourhood nurseries can afford without being reasonably full.'
The group retains eight neighbourhood nurseries and Mr Pearce said there had recently been 'a little uplift in numbers'.
