Thu, 22 Feb 2024 | BUSINESS SALE
Kids Planet has continued to grow its portfolio through acquisitions after acquiring three Derbyshire day nurseries. The group has acquired Kingfisher Day Nurseries, which comprises Kingfisher Day Nursery Donisthorpe in Swadlincote, Kingfisher Day Nursery Chapel Street in Spondon, and Kingfisher Day Nursery Kilburn in Belper.
The business was owned by Helen Allanson who established the first nursery in Spondon in 2004, before subsequently expanding to five locations. The company sold one of its settings in 2019, followed by a second sale in 2021. Together, the three remaining nurseries cater for up to 186 children, ranging from one to four years of age.
Allanson, who is selling in order to retire from the sector, commented: "I acquired my first settings (Spondon nursery and pre-school site) in 2004 and increased numbers and facilities here from 20 children to 68. Other settings were purchased in 2011 and 2015 and each nursery was updated and modernised where needed.”
She added that she feels Kids Planet “will care for and develop the excellent staff team at each nursery and will have the resources to further improve facilities for the children."
Kids Planet Day Nurseries Chief Executive Clare Roberts said: "We are thrilled to have added Kingfisher Day Nurseries to the Kids Planet family. They are truly lovely nurseries that very much mirror the ethos of Kids Planet in both quality practice and provision.”
Roberts added that the group would work with the settings over the coming months in order to “support and develop the nurseries further."
Jassi Sunner, Christie & Co Associate Director – Childcare and Education, added: "I have had the pleasure of working with Helen since 2019 when we managed to sell the first of the fantastic five settings she had at the time. We continued our good working relationship with another single-setting sale in 2021.”
Sunner continued that Christie & Co “were quickly able to agree a closed and confidential sale” for the remaining settings after presenting Allanson with the opportunity to sell to “a well-known buyer”.
Sunner added: "The span of these settings across various boroughs of Derbyshire was a key attraction to the buyer and Helen's strong relationship and dedicated teams have always been a key factor to the range of buyers we have agreed sales to.”
The UK’s childcare and early years education sector has seen significant consolidation over recent years, with Kids Planet having established itself as one of the most acquisitive operators in the market. Kids Planet was founded by Clare Roberts in 2008, before being acquired by private equity firm Fremman Capital in 2021. Following the acquisition of Kingfisher Day Nurseries, the group now operates 188 settings across the UK.
Read more about consolidation in the UK's nursery sector
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