Nursery groups on the expansion trail
Friday, June 19, 2015
Kids Planet Day Nurseries has acquired a group of three settings, while Asquith has bought two.
Northwest nursery group Kids Planet Day Nurseries has acquired Liverpool Day Nurseries, which operates three settings - 'The House Day Nursery, Greenbank Park Day Nursery and the Cottage Day Nursery.
Liverpool Day Nurseries was previously owned by Linda Knight, who set up the Nunu group in 1999 after working as managing director of the early learning years division of Nord Anglia Education.
The move brings the total number of nurseries owned by Kids Planet, which has settings in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, to 15, offering 1,584 places.
According to Nursery World’s Nursery Chains 2014, the acquisition sees Kids Planet move up four places, from 15th to 11th position in the 25 largest nursery chains in the UK.
Clare Roberts, founder and chief executive of Kids Planet Day Nurseries, said, ‘We are very excited to be moving into Liverpool and look forward to opening more nurseries in the years to come.
‘Geographically this was a great fit for us being in the northwest. There are also are lot of similarities between the groups in terms of the standard of care and the staff teams who are committed to ensuring children have the best experiences at all times.’
Meanwhile, Asquith Day Nurseries and Pre-Schools has acquired two settings in Glasgow.
The acquisition of Four Seasons Nurseries takes the total number of settings owned by Asquith to 80.
Andy Morris, chief executive of Asquith, said, ‘Four Seasons Nurseries is an important acquisition for us. Both settings Skypark and Spectrum, are established, first class nurseries with wonderful teams.’
Bertram Nursery Group has also purchased another two settings with the acquisition of the Corner House Nurseries in Edinburgh.
Graeme Scott, chief executive of the Bertram Nursery Group, said, 'I am delighted to welcome the Corner House Nurseries into the Bertram Nursery Group.
'Bertram believes that nurseries are there to serve local communities and each one needs investment in care, teaching, staff training and IT tailored to suit the needs of its own community. This is the secret to our ongoing growth. We have excellent and dedicated local management teams committed to constantly improving the services at our nurseries.'
