The Townsend nurseries are based in Faverhsam, Maidstone, Margate, Herne Bay and Ramsgate, and specialise in the Montessori ethos.
Commenting on the deal, Sarah Steel, CEO of The Old Station Nursery Group, said, ‘A very warm welcome to all of the children, families and staff members at Townsend Montessori to The Old Station Nursery Group. We are delighted that you are joining our nursery family and we look forward to meeting everyone in the coming months.
‘As a group, we always strive to be the very best at what we do and to innovate the ways in which we do so. We are very excited to work with each of the teams at Townsend Montessori Nurseries in order to share best practice and learn from one another.’
Founder and managing director of Townsend Nurseries Philippa Vigor remains the owner of the Broadstairs nursery.
‘A strong emphasis on quality has ensured that Townsend Montessori has built up a fantastic reputation in our local area, ‘she said. ‘It has been a wonderful journey and I have had a fantastic team along the way. The Old Station Nursery Group has a very similar ethos to Townsend Montessori Nurseries, and I am very confident that they are the right group to continue the success into the future. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in the success of Townsend Montessori Nurseries over the years.’
The deal means that The Old Station group – the 12th largest in the UK in Nursery Chains 2022 – now cares for more than 4,000 children in 59 nurseries.
The group has expanded rapidly since it became part of La Maison Bleue, the leading childcare provider in Switzerland and the third largest provider in both France and Luxembourg, since 2019.
Latest deals
All About Children has bought two more settings to bring its number of nurseries to 38.
The group, which has settings across England, has completed acquisitions on Playplus Nursery, located in Bourne End, Hertfordshire, and Progress House, based in Market Harborough in Leicestershire.
Playplus Nursery is set in a rural location between Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted.
Progress House is based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire and opened in 1997 and was sold to All About Children following the retirement of its owners.
(Left to right) Elaine Armstrong, nursery manager, with Sinead Johnson, chief operating officer, and Claire Saytch, acquisitions and onboarding manager, from All About Children.
Sinead Johnson, chief operating officer at All About Children, said, ‘We’re delighted to announce the purchase of these two businesses, both of which represent a great fit in the All About Children ‘family’ of nurseries. Securing them is a clear demonstration of our ambition to expand our nursery business, while holding onto the values we hold dear – namely, being enthusiastic, kind, respectful and authentic in everything we say and do.
‘We loved meeting the children and the staff of Playplus Nursery, and look forward to continuing their amazing work in this wonderful setting. We’re confident that with our investment and the ideas of our staff, we can build on what’s already been achieved.
‘Similarly, Progress House has a lovely, locally established reputation and is a great addition to our Midlands-based nursery group, in and around Birmingham, and the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire region.’
Kids Inc is opening its 13th nursery in Gravesend in Kent next month, its second in the county. It also operates a nursery in Bluewater.
The nursery will offer 90-places and is described as ‘easily commutable’.
Senior manager Stevie Deeble said, ‘We are very excited about the launch of our new nursery in Gravesend, as we expand our childcare services further into Kent, to nurture, educate and inspire the next generation. This site will have easy parking, large airy rooms and a very imaginative garden, with a slide leading down from the building.’
Meanwhile Busy Bees has bought the 78-place Harlequin Childcare in Ely, Cambridgeshire. The UK’s largest nursery group said the nursery has a long-standing team in place, including manager Alyson Parker, who has been with the nursery since it opened 18 years ago.
- For the latest on UK nursery groups - including our exclusive analysis by size and Ofsted report of the 25 biggest groups - don't miss our Nursery Chains supplement free with the March issue of Nursery World and available online
