Nord Anglia currently owns the Princess Christian group of ten day nurseries in the north-west of England, the Midlands and Yorkshire. The size of the group has remained static over the past three years, while others such as Asquith Court, currently the largest in the UK, have quardrupled in size.
Bright Horizons has ten units up and running, which are mostly purpose-built and offer accommodation for 100 children in the south and west of England. Nord Anglia has also purchased six new nursery sites as part of the deal.
Bright Horizons is a relative newcomer to the nursery chains market, having set up shop in 1997 and grown rapidly to become the ninth biggest childcare provider in the country, according to the league table published in Nursery World's Chains supplement (7 June).
In addition to ten units that are currently open, three additional units have been built for scheduled opening in early 2002, and a spokesperson for Nord Anglia said a 'significant number of additional site opportunities' have been negotiated.
Nord Anglia bought the Manchester-based Princess Christian College in 1998 and branded its group of day nurseries with the same name. The company opened a London branch of the college in August 1999 but closed it after less than a year.
Jacqueline Moss, director of Princess Christian nurseries, said,' Our ethos of childcare harnesses the best traditions established by the world-renowned Princess Christian College.
Today we combine this traditional approach with the latest thinking in nursery education to provide pre-school infants with an excellent start in life."
She said that Bright Horizons and Princess Christian nurseries shared a similar approach to childcare and pre-school teaching, and the merger would 'form a strong foundation of common skills.'
Bright Horizons hairman Richard Padgett, whose background includes experience in setting up nursing homes for the elderly, said, "The company has built a quality group of nurseries over a three-year period and believes that the sale to Nord Anglia is an excellent decision both for the children and parents for placing their trust and confidence in us and to wish the merger the very for the future'.
