Busy Bees acquires Wirral nursery group

Daisy and Jake, formed in 2004, offers a total of 642 places for children in the Wirral. All of its sites are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.

The acquisition brings the number of nurseries owned by Busy Bees in the UK to 359, with places for more than 35,000 children.

Busy Bees now cares for more than 50,000 children in over 500 nurseries worldwide, including settings in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, China, and Australia.

Marg Randles, chief academic officer and co-founder of Busy Bees, said, ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to add Daisy and Jake Day Nursery to our growing family. Our philosophy and passion has always been and always will be to deliver local provision to local families, and we work hard to ensure each nursery runs on its own merit with its own specialised and dedicated staff team in place.

‘Over the past 35 years, we have been dedicated to providing outstanding opportunities for children to give them the very best start in life. Our success has been down to the people in our nurseries and we are very much looking forward to working with Daisy and Jake and their team of dedicated and passionate staff.

‘We will work closely with parents and staff at Daisy and Jake to keep everyone up to date to ensure a seamless transition.’

Lisa Collins, former owner of Daisy and Jake, said, ‘After 14 years of building our nursery business, we have decided that now is the right time to hand over the reins. I am confident that in Busy Bees we have chosen the ideal partner who will maintain the values and ethos we have all worked so hard to achieve.

‘I know they will preserve the things that make Daisy and Jake so special and continue to provide quality childcare and excellent staff support. The future of Daisy and Jake is bright, and I will be proud to watch the business continue to go from strength to strength under its new owners.

‘We were the first Forest School on the Wirral and the first eco-school. That really set the path for our ethos going forward, and when Busy Bees approached us they recognised that we had created a very special environment, with our main focus on children using natural materials in an outdoor setting for representational play. We stood out as something quite unique on the Wirral and I know Busy Bees will work hard to continue and maintain our values.’

On her own plans for the future, Ms Collins added, ‘I am going to attempt retirement! I don’t know whether it will suit me, but for now I am definitely looking to take some time out to reflect and spend time with my family, who have sat patiently on the sidelines while I built up the business.’