National group swoops to buy six Lancashire nurseries

Kids Planet, which already has many county day nurseries such as Butterfly Lodge in Lytham Road Blackpool and the former Hillcrest on Black Bull Lane Preston, has picked up the nurseries from the previous owners of Happy Days who wanted to retire.

They include Poulton Nursery and Forest School, Victoria Hospital Nursery, Kidspace Nursery, The Learning Lodge Nursery and Ansdell Nature Nursery.

The confidential deal was done through agents Redwoods Dowling Kerr, which described the six as a “superb group of six settings located in the Fylde Coast”.

It said all the settings within the group have their own unique charm and each had accomplished ground-breaking achievements ranging from national coverage campaigns to being the first nursery within the country to achieve the Investors in People Gold Standard.

The group has a combined capacity for 535 children aged between birth and eight years of age. The earliest setting being founded in 1999 and the latest in 2013.

The acquisition will lead the Kids Planet Group to a total of 120 settings.

Clare Roberts, CEO of Kids Planet said: “It is a pleasure to welcome this group of five into the Kids Planet family. They are well-established settings, delivering quality childcare across several catchments on the Fylde, and present an excellent fit with our existing presence in the region. We are really excited to support these nurseries and watch them flourish as part of the Kids Planet group.”

Redwoods Dowling Kerr’s said its long-standing relationship with the founders, allowed the group to be brought to market via a confidential corporate sales process which entailed one to one marketing

with the director of childcare Jenna Caldwell, and through that target sales process the RDK team were able to find an ideal buyer.

RDK’s senior childcare broker Sarah Ellison stated: “It has been a pleasure working with the founders and assisting them with their retirement from the childcare sector. After 23 years they felt the right buyers for them were Kids Planet Day Nurseries.

"I would like to wish all the family the best for the future and would like to congratulate Kids Plant Day Nurseries on their latest acquisition which takes them to an impressive 120 settings.”