Busy Bees buys Channel Islands nursery

Busy Bees has bought Leeward Childcare, a 100-place nursery in St Helier – its third site in Jersey.

The nursery group now has 379 settings across the UK and Ireland, caring for more than 40,000 children.

Cheryl Creaser, Europe chief executive at Busy Bees, said, ‘Leeward Childcare has a great reputation for delivering exceptional childcare and this acquisition expands our offering in Jersey and cements our vision of being the childcare provider of choice on the Island.

‘Over the next few months, we will be working closely with the team and building on the service they provide to ensure children can grow, learn and have fun in a nurturing environment.’

Storal Learning has also bought another setting, Blueberry Nursery School in Hove, East Sussex.

The 67-place nursery was previously owned by Ms Sharn Smythson who decided to sell in order to retire.

Storal Learning 

Storal Learning now has 28 nurseries.

Storal Learning's managing director, Mr Varun Chanrai, commented, 'We fell in love with everything Blueberry the very first time we saw it - and it all came down to its culture and ethos. As a group, we pride ourselves on only selecting the best nurseries within a local community and cherish each setting for its own special charm and uniqueness. We are absolutely committed to building upon the legacy of high-quality care and early years education that is at the core of Blueberry’s offering. In this regard, we anticipate the nursery operating in much the same way as it has done, including under the same name and with the same team.'

Sophie Willcox, director of Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, added, 'We were inundated with interest in Blueberry and received multiple offers, no doubt due to its excellent location and local reputation for offering high-quality childcare. We are seeing a lot of demand in the Brighton area for good quality freehold or leasehold opportunities.'