Nursery groups growing through investment and acquisition
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Kids Planet has secured more funding, while Cherubs Day Nurseries and Safari Kid have both bought new settings.
Nursery group Kids Planet has received an extra £6.5m investment from BGF to support further expansion.
Since BGF’s initial investment in the group in 2016, Kids Planet has expanded to 38 sites across the north of England and Midlands. BGF has now invested a total of £23m into the group.
In the 2018-19 financial year, Kids Planet, which currently provides places for 5,000 children and holds 20 Ofsted Outstanding ratings, reported £21m in sales.
The group is also opening a new purpose-built nursery in Worsley this summer.
Chief executive Clare Roberts said, ‘Our goal is to provide outstanding early years education to as many children as possible across the North. With BGF’s backing, we’ve been able to accelerate the roll-out of our business while remaining focused on providing an exceptional care and facilities.’
Pinesh Mehta, an investor at BGF, added, ‘Kids Planet has performed consistently well as a business because of the high standards the team holds. Since embarking on this journey with Clare and John, Kids Planet has gone from strength-to-strength and it’s fantastic to be providing further funding for the next phase of expansion.’
Safari Kid
The Ram Quarter in Wandsworth is the base for Safari Kid's new nursery
Safari Kid is opening a nursery in the Ram Quarter development in Wandsworth, London.
Safari Kid has signed a 15-year lease with property developer the Greenland Group for a unit at Ram Quarter, a redeveloped area on the site of a former Young’s brewery.
The purchase will take the nursery group to a total of six settings, adding to its current sites in Windsor, Clerkenwell, Chiswick, Golders Green and Camden.
Safari Kid’s new Wandsworth setting is located on a waterside terrace on the River Wandle, and will offer indoor learning space as well as an outside play area.
Emma Philipps, area manager at Safari Kid, said, ‘Wandsworth has long been a hub for family living, with its popular town centre, great schools, parks and an active community. It’s the ideal place for us to set up our newest home, tapping into the family neighbourhood being created at Ram Quarter and the community that already exists in the wider area.’
Cherubs
Cherubs Nurseries has bought its 13th nursery, taking the total number of places it offers to 937.
The acquisition of the 40-place Tiny Teddies Day Nursery in Ruddington will be the group’s second purchase this year, after it bought Bright Beginnings Day Nursery in Edwinstowe in March, and its fourth setting in Nottingham.
Susan Mills, managing director of Cherubs, commented, ‘With seven of our nurseries based in Mansfield it was about time to branched out further, so when the opportunity came up to acquire a nursery in Ruddington it was a perfect addition.’
She added, ‘I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage any existing nursery owners to get in touch with us if they are thinking of selling. This year, especially, we are looking to grow significantly and are looking for more opportunities to grow across the Midlands.’
