Nursery World - Nursery groups continue to grow, as lockdown eases

Just Childcare, Cresswell Nurseries and Forest House nursery groups have all recently acquired early years settings.

Elm Park in Clapham is one of two nurseries bought by Cresswell Nurseries, which is owned by ICP Nurseries

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.’

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included