Bright Horizons adds 64 settings in 45m deal

The £45m deal - the largest acquistion of this year - brings the total number of nurseries owned by Bright Horizions Family Solutions in the UK to 203, offering 15,500 childcare places.

The international company, which has headquarters in the US, operates more than 750 childcare centres worldwide.

With the acquisition the nursery group edges closer in size to the biggest UK childcare provider Busy Bees, which has 214 settings and 19,509 places.

Founded in 1983, kidsunlimited operates 64 settings including workplace nurseries for employers such as WH Smith, Cambridge University Hospitals and the University of Oxford, across the North West, London and the South East.

All the settings will remain under the kidsunlimited brand and be managed by Bright Horizons. Kidsunlimited's 1,800 employees will continue their employment with Bright Horizons and its chief executive Ros Marshall will stay on to support the integration of the nursery chains and eventually take on another role within the wider group.

Kidsunlimited also runs a childcare voucher business, KU vouchers, which Bright Horizons has also bought. It follows the Government's announcement last month that tax-free childcare will be extended to more working families from 2015.

Carole Edmond, managing director of Bright Horizons UK & Ireland, said, 'We warmly welcome all kidsunlimited staff, children, families and clients to Bright Horizons. We believe this will be a partnership which will benefit everyone. We have long admired the kidsunlimited brand focus on quality outcomes and staff development. Our companies have a shared purpose to provide exceptional and inspiring care and education for the early years, to support the dependent care and employee well-being aspirations of our clients, and to offer our staff the best opportunities for professional development and job satisfaction. We look forward to what the future brings.'

Ros Marshall, former CEO of kidsunlimited, said, 'We are delighted to be joining the Bright Horizon's family. Both companies share a commitment to excellence, innovation and investment in their staff and facilities, creating the environment for all of the children, parents and staff in their care to flourish.'

Courteney Donaldson, director of childcare at Christie + Co, which advised Bright Horizons on the acquisition, said, 'Over the past year or so, the nursery, childcare and education marketplace has been the stand-out sector in terms of the vibrancy of its transactional marketplace, particularly across the corporate and regional marketplace. This latest deal, on which we were delighted to be able to advise Bright Horizons, shows there is no let-up just yet.'

Bright Horizons is to continue on the expansion trail this year by opening three new nurseries, one of which will be under the kidsunlimited brand in Kingston, Surrey.

EXPANSION TRAIL FOR BRIGHT HORIZONS

1983 Founded by Linda Mason and Roger Brown in the US.

2002 The group buys Kinderquest, a chain of 49 settings.

2004 Bright Horizons acquires Child & Co's nine nurseries based in Oxfordshire and the Birrell Collection of six nurseries based in Edinburgh.

2009 The group buys Teddies Nurseries, a chain of 32 settings.

2012 Acquistion of the Casterbridge nursery group of 27 settings.

2013 Bright Horizons buys kidsunlimited.