Fylde coast nurseries group valued at £5.5m is sold

The Childs-Play Nursery Group, which had five settings on the Fylde coast, was sold off an asking price of £5.5m – with the sale being agreed during lockdown.

The deal was handled by Redwoods Dowling Kerr, which continued to operate fully throughout the lockdown period.

Based in Greater Manchester, MiChild has also recently purchased Network Nurseries Limited, a group of five well established childcare settings across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, closely followed by the acquisition of Domalo Childcare, a group of four day nurseries in August, both via RDK.

With significant expansion across the North West during the pandemic, MiChild aims to establish itself as one of the largest operators in the region and now offers more than 1,000 childcare places.

Childs-Play commenced trading in 2001 with the purchase of a former Methodist church, which became Little Angels Day Nursery. Over the years that followed, the business grew quickly and operated from five freehold settings across the Fylde coast.

Child’s Play had a combined capacity of 359 places with Moorevilla Nursery, Little Angels, Meadow Kindergarten, Highfield Day Nursery and Newhouse Day Nursery

The settings offer a vibrant and colourful setting which creates a stimulating environment for the children.

The nursery’s owners Sarah and David Sloane wished to discuss the sale of Childs-Play confidentially.

Sarah Ellison, senior childcare negotiator at RDK, contacted MiChild and delivered an offer to match the clients’ expectations. She said: “Once Childs-Play came to Redwoods Dowling Kerr I knew that MiChild would be a perfect match for the business.

"We contacted the buyer and they thought it was an excellent opportunity to expand the group.

"The nursery group is a market-leading business that would attract significant interest, so keeping the sale process confidential would have been extremely difficult, but we met the demands of the owners. We have secured a fantastic deal for our clients and an excellent acquisition for the buyer.”