![Sophie Willcox, director, Christie & Co: 'Such strong buyer demand requires a healthy supply, yet there continues to be a significant lack of nursery stock on the market'](/media/dckbc3z2/sophie-willcox-christie-co.jpg?width=1002&height=668&bgcolor=White&v=1da61258121a140)
Many who had paused merger and acquisition plans in the wake of the pandemic resumed activity in 2021 and brought with them a real appetite for high-quality nursery businesses. Such stock is coming under offer very quickly and we’re seeing record timings for deals from instruction to completion.
Pricing for nursery businesses in the South is holding up well; this is helped by businesses going under offer based off pre-Covid figures, rather than performance over the pandemic period, and the hugely competitive buyer appetite at present. Nursery businesses are consistently selling for or above the asking price.
A brilliant example of this is with the recent sale of Grace’s Day Nursery in South East London. The well-refurbished, high-quality, 73-place nursery received eight offers and completed in just eight weeks. Thanks to competitive tension driving up the price, the setting sold to Family First, a growing group of nurseries across the South and the Midlands, for well in excess of the asking price.
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