Nursery groups on expansion drive

Altrincham-based nursery operator L&G Childcare, which currently owns two nurseries in the North West, has acquired Bungalow Day Nursery in Denton with the help of £200,000 funding from Santander Business Banking.

The family-owned business has operated nurseries for over 12 years, employs over 30 members of staff and looks after over 120 children.

L&G Childcare acquired Heathfield House Day Nursery in 2006 and Little Weavers Day Nursery in 2012, located in Warrington and Northwich respectively. The new site in Denton will enable them to offer childcare for up to 50 more children.

Gary Kirkwood, owner of L&G Childcare, said he hoped to add two further nurseries to the group to capitalise on demand for childcare in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

He added, ‘We are thrilled to be able to purchase our new site and expand our business. Opening our third nursery is a great milestone for us and we are pleased to be in a position to respond to the demand for high quality childcare in this part of Manchester. The support from Santander has been exceptional and really helped us expand and invest for growth.’

Caring Kindergartens, which owns and operates six nurseries across Cambridgeshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, is creating a brand new £2.3m children’s nursery at the Brooklands development in Milton Keynes with the support of the Royal Bank of Scotland (below).

Set to open in June 2018, the new building will provide childcare for up to 150 children, with features including a dedicated children’s kitchen, art room, playroom and sleep rooms, as well as gardens and play areas overlooking fields.

Caring Kindergartens will be the only nursery to open a centre at the Brooklands site and it is estimated that 30 full-time jobs will be created as a result of its launch.

George Wright, owner of Caring Kindergartens, said, ‘We are really excited about the new nursery and are pleased that work is now underway to construct it. To have a purpose-designed building with the space to provide unrivalled facilities is a real privilege and we know that we are going to create somewhere that both parents and children will just love.’

In further expansion news, Wigwam Day Nursery in Reading has been sold to growing operator Toddletown, which already owns one setting in Chiswick.

The new nursery has capacity for 36 children, bringing the total number of places offered by Toddletown to 62.

Emerald Childcare (right), a group of three children’s day nurseries located in the North East of England with a combined capacity for 144 children, has been sold by previous owner Karen Veitch, who is retiring.

The trio of nurseries, along with a crèche business, were sold by Christie & Co to an anonymous first-time buyer.

Christie & Co has also brokered the sale of one of the Dizzy Ducks Nurseries, located in Haverhill, Suffolk, to first-time buyers.

Sophie Willcox, childcare business agent at Christie & Co, said, ‘This was a unique opportunity which attracted a high level of interest. The nursery successfully traded as part of the Dizzy Ducks brand but the owner decided that this particular setting was on the edge of their ideal geographical trading area so they decided to sell, which allowed them to concentrate on expanding closer to their other nurseries. Run under management, in a popular location, this nursery will also undoubtedly benefit from the extensive housing developments which are underway in the surrounding area.’