Bertram Nurseries has acquired Paint Pots Day Nursery in Perth.
The 80-place Scottish setting, established by Mark Beveridge and Elspeth Beveridge in 2001, was rated Very Good by the Scottish Care Inspectorate at its most recent inspection.
The vendors have decided to sell the nursery in order to embark on their retirement.
Ms Beveridge said, 'As a mother of three children and a teacher, I understand parents’ anxiety about leaving their children in nursery care. We offer a happy and caring environment where the children’s creativity and imagination can flourish, ensuring our experienced staff have the knowledge and skills to support each individual child to learn and develop.
'In handing over the reins to the Bertram Nursery Group, we are confident they share our values and will maintain our commitment to providing the highest quality care and learning opportunities.'
Cary Rankin, managing director of Bertram Nursery Group, said, 'When we were approached by Mark and Elspeth from Paint Pots, we immediately warmed to them and were incredibly impressed with the nursery.
'We look forward to welcoming the team to Bertram Nursery Group as our first nursery operating in Perth, close to our sites in Dundee and Stirling.'
He stressed that there were no immediate plans for change.
‘Paint Pots is a locally recognised, high quality brand serving the local community of Perth,' he said. 'We look forward to supporting the nursery team and would like to thank Mark and Elspeth for choosing Bertram Nursery Group to continue the Paint Pots legacy.’
Bertram now has 42 children’s nurseries across Scotland and north-west England, employing almost 1,000 staff with more than 3,500 nursery places.
Lead negotiator of the sale for Redwoods Dowling Kerr, Sarah Ellison, said, ‘We had a number of viewings, but when Bertram came to view the business the sellers felt that they would be a great group to hand over their nursery to and continue the illustrious success the setting has enjoyed thanks to their established reputation in the UK and Scotland. I would like to wish Mr and Mrs Beveridge a well-deserved retirement.’
The acquisition follows Bertram’s purchase of the five-strong Enchanted Forest nursery group, based in and around Glasgow, in June this year.
Earlier this year, Bertram was acquired by its management with funding from Apiary Capital and Santander. There were unconfirmed reports that the group plans to expand to 100 nurseries with Apiary Capital’s backing.
In Nursery Chains 2018, Bertram was the 10th largest nursery group in the UK, with 2,923 places.
Meanwhile, Kids Planet Day Nurseries has bought its 43rd setting.
The group has acquired Noah’s Ark Day Nursery, a nursery and out-of-school club located in Great Boughton, Chester, taking its total number of settings to 43 across the North West and the Midlands.
Originally established by their mother in 1998, Marc and Sally Owen purchased Noah’s Ark Day Nursery in 2008. The nursery, which is rated as Good by Ofsted, offers places for 100 children from birth to five years old, and a further 42 places in the out-of-school club for children up to the age of 12.
Clare Roberts, chief executive at Kids Planet said, ‘We’re extremely excited to bring Noah’s Ark Day Nursery into the group. We’re very much looking forward to working with their teams and providing them with the support they need to continue delivering the best possible care for children and parents in this area.’
Kids Planet was established by Ms Roberts and her father John Hoban in 2008 and has grown over the last decade to become one of the largest nursery groups in the UK.
After securing an extra £6.5m investment from BGF to support further expansion (), Kids Planet has grown to provide over 5,500 childcare places across the north of England and Midlands.
In Nursery Chains 2018, Kids Planet was the 11th largest nursery group in the UK, with 2,812 places.
