Asquith acquires Secret Garden
Alison Mercer
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Asquith Court, the UK's largest nursery chain, has acquired the Kent-based Secret Garden Day Nursery group in a move that adds six nurseries to the group. The Secret Garden group, established in 1997, provides 400 places, employs 150 staff, and has nurseries in Canterbury, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Wilmington.
The Secret Garden group, established in 1997, provides 400 places, employs 150 staff, and has nurseries in Canterbury, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Wilmington.
The acquisition, announced on 18 July, follows hard on the heels of Asquith Court's purchase of the London-based Rivertide Group in June, which added five nurseries and 250 places to the market leader's provision.
Asquith Court chief executive Phillip Rhodes said, 'The Secret Garden Day Nursery group is an excellent addition to our existing portfolio, and offers an exciting opportunity for parents and staff to benefit from being part of the Asquith Court group.'
Alan Proto, Secret Garden managing director, added, 'We are delighted Asquith Court is the new owner of Secret Garden. The group has an excellent reputation, and we are confident the nurseries will continue to flourish under its ownership.'
Asquith Court now provides around 6,700 day nursery places. Leapfrog, the second largest UK group, was listed in the summer 2003 edition of Nursery World supplement Nursery Chains as providing 4,155.
Asquith Court has also set up a joint venture with international facilities management group Jarvis to manage private nurseries attached to maintained sector primary schools built by Jarvis under the Private Finance Initiative. So far, the venture has six projects - four nurseries attached to primary schools in the London borough of Richmond, a nursery at a secondary school in Brighton and a nursery at a 'learning village' in Croydon, Surrey (Special report, 17 July).
