PE-backed nursery operator Kids Planet expands into Wales
Fri, 19 Jan 2024 | BUSINESS SALE
Kids Planet Day Nurseries, a nursery operator backed by private equity firm Fremman Capital, has expanded into Wales for the first time with the acquisition of a group of nurseries. The company has acquired Springfield Day Nurseries, alongside Dragon Camps Holiday Club.
Springfield Day Nurseries is a well-established, family-run group comprising five nurseries, serving the local and surrounding communities of Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Conwy and Abergele. Following the sale, the company’s management team and all other employees will remain the same, with Kids Planet saying there would be complete continuity in terms childcare and the service parents receive from Springfield.
Founded in 2008 by Chief Executive Clare Roberts, Kids Planet was acquired by Fremman Capital in 2021 and has since established itself as one of the UK’s biggest, most acquisitive nursery operators at a time of significant consolidation in the UK’s childcare and early years education sector.
Earlier this week, the firm posted its accounts for the year to March 31 2023, which revealed that it had passed £100 million in turnover, reporting revenue of £108 million, up from £66.3 million in 2022. During the year, the company increased its number of sites from 108 to 156 (compared to 52 locations in March 2021) and added more than 1,500 employees, with its staff headcount now standing at just short of 4,000.
Commenting on its latest acquisition, Clare Roberts said: "I am delighted to welcome the teams of Springfield Day Nurseries and Dragon Camps into Kids Planet, marking our first step into Wales. Springfield prides itself on offering the highest standards of care for children, aligning well with our own values for quality childcare provision and environments.”
Former Springfield owners David and Suzanne Edwards added: "It was a very difficult decision to sell the business after nearly 20 years but having reached that decision we considered our options very carefully. We decided that Kids Planet shared both our ethos and approach to delivering the very best in childcare.”
"Having met with them and worked with them through the process, our view has been reinforced. Kids Planet have a family-centred approach focusing on the detail of child welfare and development at the heart of their thinking which was very much our approach.”
Read more about consolidation in the UK nursery sector
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