Nursery World - Nursery Chains: Editor's view

Nursery Chains is now ten years old. The supplement has reported great change in the early years sector during the past decade as New Labour initiatives have made childcare increasingly high profile, if not increasingly profitable.

In the first Nursery Chains directory just 70 nursery groups were listed, running 550 nurseries, creches and out-of-school clubs. Now, despite competition from Government-funded centres, that figure has more than doubled, and we know of over 150 chains throughout the UK and Ireland. In 2008 there are in excess of 1,500 settings operated by groups.

Providing care of the highest quality in the face of rapid expansion was predicted to be the challenge for nursery chains in 1998, but remaining financially viable in the face of Government initiatives soon became an additional struggle. While a few nursery owners have made millions out of their businesses, many have found it difficult to stay in profit. Four of the original league table no longer exist, with some chains consolidating and others undergoing management buyouts. Turn to page 12 to find out what has happened to the original largest nursery groups and how leading insiders view the past decade.

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