Acquisitions take Kids Planet to 190 nursery settings

Acquisitive UK nursery group Kids Planet has continued its M&A-led growth with the takeovers of two further settings. The group has acquired Nurture Me Day Nursery in Lutterworth, Leicestershire and Puddleducks Day Nursery in Warrington.

The Puddleducks Day Nursery is located on the grounds of a Church of England primary school and had been operated by the same owners for the past 25 years. Kids Planet CEO Clare Roberts said the nursery had “an excellent reputation for high-quality childcare in the area, which they provide in a homely and engaging environment.”

She continued: “With their child-centred approach, there are many synergies with Kids Planet and we look forward to supporting them moving forward as part of the Kids Planet family.”

Nurture Me Day Nursery is a setting with capacity for up to 106 children, as well as an out-of-school and holiday club provision for up to 25. The nursery became Kids Planet’s 190th UK setting following a confidential sale process run by David Eaves, Christie & Co Director – Childcare and Education.

The former owners, Gill Masters and Helen Smith, said that, following “substantial growth” over recent years, " it was time to join a family-owned group of nurseries who could provide the central support needed for a larger setting, which also facilitated our retirement.”

They continued: "Kids Planet was a great fit with similar values to Nurture Me, and we both feel that the future of our lovely nursery is in very safe hands, for parents, children and of course our amazing staff team."

Clare Roberts commented: "The nursery fits well into the Kids Planet family, coming with a well-established leadership team and a highly qualified workforce. Nurture Me expands our offering in Leicestershire, and we are excited to support the whole team and families moving forward."

David Eaves said that he had originally met with the former owners in late 2021 to discuss sale options and said that, at the time, it “was clear that there was a fantastic underlying business that simply needed a little time to recover from the pandemic for them to achieve the right value.”

Eaves stated that the business had now reached “an enviable level of occupancy and profitability”, meaning “it was the perfect time for them to realise the benefit of their hard work.”

He continued: “Using our sector experience and deep market knowledge we were able to secure multiple offers in a short space of time and achieve a completion only six weeks from agreeing terms.”

Discussing the state of nursery sector M&A in the region, Eaves added: "We continue to see an exceptional level of demand for high-quality childcare businesses across the East Midlands from a range of buyers. With demand outstripping supply in the current market, this creates an excellent opportunity for nursery owners to maximise the value they can achieve in a sale process."


Find out more about M&A trends in the UK nursery sector

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