Cresswell Nurseries, which is part of the ICP nursery group, has bought two settings, one in South West London and another in Essex, increasing its size to 13 nurseries.
In January 2021, ICP Nurseries purchased Cresswell Nurseries Ltd, but Cresswell Nurseries still operates as a limited company in its own right.
The 106-place Second Steps nursery (pictured above) nursery in Laindon has a long-standing management team and has achieved consistently growing revenues year on year.
Sharon Watson, the former owner of Second Steps, who is now pursuing other business ventures, said, ‘I have found the perfect buyers to continue on my hard work. I can now begin a new chapter in my life in the knowledge that the nursery children and staff will be looked after.’
Cresswell chairman Stephen Booty said, ‘We are thrilled to have acquired another outstanding nursery to add to our growing portfolio. We are looking forward to continuing on from Sharon’s hard work in providing exceptional childcare.’
Cresswell has also acquired Elm Park a 118-place setting in Clapham, south-west London. The management team are Montessori-accredited.
These two latest deals mean that ICP now owns 47 nurseries overall.
Narnia Nursery in Greater Manchester has been acquired by Forest House Nurseries
Forest House Nurseries has expanded its portfolio to six nurseries, with the acquisition of Narnia Day Nursery and Nursery School in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
The ‘home from home’ family-run day nursery, which accommodates up to 36 children aged from babies upwards, was operated by Rob and Karen Matthews, who said, ‘After owning and managing our nursery for 20 years, the most important factor to us when selling was ensuring it was passed to safe hands who would understand and continue its "family" feel.’
Forest House operates settings in Sale, Stockport, Altrincham, Worsley, and near the M60 motorway.
Anthony McGrath of Forest House Nurseries, said, ‘When we viewed Narnia, we knew it was exactly right for us and the location complements our group. We are very excited to be welcoming Narnia Day Nursery into our family of nurseries and we look forward to getting to know all the staff, children, and parents.’
North West-based nursery chain Just Childcare has made its first acquisition of 2021, which increases its portfolio to 61 nurseries.
The addition of The Village Day Nursery in Standish, Wigan, (right) marks the group’s first acquisition during the pandemic and represents the resumption of the group’s expansion plans.
Just Childcare provides around 4,600 nursery places across the North West, Yorkshire, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
The Village Day Nursery, registered for 89 children, is one of the most well-established nurseries in the area.
David Johnson, CEO of Just Childcare, said, ‘We are thrilled to welcome The Village Day Nursery to the Just Childcare family and look forward to working with their nursery team to support the nursery’s future growth and development. The Village is the first acquisition we’ve been able to make to the group in quite a while due to the pandemic and we’re pleased to have added such a well-established nursery to our North West region.
