Nursery market value soars

Alison Mercer
Wednesday, May 14, 2003

The UK day nursery market was worth an estimated Pounds 2.15 billion in 2002, more than five times its value at the start of the 1990s, according to a recent report published by the healthcare consultancy Laing & Buisson. Private sector providers generated 1.93 billion of the total, with the lion's share coming from sole traders or partnerships, which had a total income of 1.05 billion. Providers trading as companies earned 0.88 billion. The remainder of the total was generated by not-for-profit providers such as voluntary sector nurseries and local authorities. The market's total value grew by an estimated 16.5 per cent between 2001 and 2002.