Established Scottish day nursery group sold to ICP Education
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Scottish day nursery group, Children’s Hour Ltd.
Children’s Hour Ltd comprises two well-established nurseries; Children’s Hour Nursery which is registered for 30 children aged six weeks to five-years; Abbey Nursery Houston which is registered for 92 children aged six weeks to five years.
Children’s Hour Nursery occupies a prominent location in Hardgate, Clydebank, and Abbey Nursery is just a 20-minute drive away in the village of Houston, Renfrewshire.
The group has been owned by Kevin and Trudy Johnson since 2008. During this time, the pair have focused on developing a successful, reputable operational business. Both nurseries benefit from ‘word of mouth’ recommendations and have waiting lists for places. They are in partnership with the local authority, offering 1,140 hours of early years entitlement, and have experienced strong levels of occupancy across all age groups.
Kevin and Trudy recently decided to sell to pursue a well-earned retirement. Following a confidential sales process, the setting has been sold to ICP Education, the biggest new entrant to the Scottish market.
Speaking on behalf of ICP Education, mergers and acquisitions director, Kirsty Ibbott, comments, “We are pleased to welcome these two well-established nurseries in Glasgow – Children’s Hour Nurseries – to ICP Education. Trudy and Kevin have established nurseries with a strong reputation for providing excellent care and early years education. We look forward to building on this reputation whilst supporting the current teams for a seamless integration and to ensure that, like all our nurseries, we will maintain its local identity in the community.”
The sale was handled by director, Rosie Adlem, and senior director, Martin Daw, from Christie & Co who work with childcare operators across the Scottish region.
Martin Daw comments, “It was a genuine pleasure working on behalf of Kevin and Trudy. Their passion for childcare was obvious to children, staff, and parents. Having sold them Abbey Nursery back in 2009, it was great to have the opportunity to see the improvements and growth in the nursery and to help them get a return for their hard work over the years.”
Children’s Hour Ltd was sold for an undisclosed price.
