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Busy Bees buys Kids 1st nursery group

Provision Management Business
The largest nursery chain in the UK has acquired Kids 1st Day Nurseries, the ‘outstanding’ group of 11 nurseries.

Based in the North East of England, the group recently topped Nursery World’s Nursery Chains Ofsted quality table for the fifth year running, with the highest score possible.

All of the group’s inspected nurseries have achieved outstanding grades. One nursery is awaiting its first inspection and two more are due to open under the brand.

The acquisition means that Busy Bees will operate 249 nurseries and employ more than 8,000 staff. According to Nursery Chains, Busy Bees provides 21,735 places. Kids 1st currently operates 11 nurseries and has 1,178 places.

Busy Bees said that it had wanted to expand in the North East for a number of years. The operator has a long history of acquiring other nursery groups and operates nurseries under several different brands. Other recent deals include Caring Daycare and Kinder Nurseries in 2014.

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