Established Scottish day nursery group Children's Hour, which looks after more than 120 youngsters across two locations, has been sold by its owners for an undiclosed sum.
The business has been acquired by privately-owned ICP Education of Nottingham, one of the largest nursey operators in the UK.
Children’s Hour occupies a prominent location in Hardgate, Clydebank, which is registered for 30 children aged six weeks to five years. Abbey Nursery is a 20-minute drive away in the village of Houston, Renfrewshire, providing care for 92 children aged six weeks to five years.
The group has been owned since 2008 by Kevin and Trudy Johnson, with both nurseries said to have waiting lists for places. Children's Hour works in partnership with the local authority, offering 1,140 hours of early years entitlement, and has experienced strong levels of occupancy across all age groups.
The sale was handled by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co after the Johnsons decided to retire.
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," said Kirsty Ibbott, director of mergers and acquisitions.
"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.”
Martin Daw, senior director at Christie & Co, added: “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.”
Wedding venue near Glasgow launched by six farming siblings
It's a fourth-generation farm on the outskirts of Glasgow and like many in the industry it is now looking to diversify to survive and secure a long-term future.
From farm shops to self-catering accommodation and day trips, farms have had to adapt in an increasingly difficult industry. However, through the rise of what is described as Agritourism there are now novel ideas of expending the traditional farming business.
For the Imrie family, including six siblings, they are now planning to develop their 500 acres site into a country wedding venue.
Asset lender chooses Eurocentral as location of first Scottish office
Simply Asset Finance, a lender that specialises in supporting SMEs across the UK, has opened its first Scottish office.
The London-headquartered business, established in 2017, has chosen the Eurocentral industrial and logistics hub next to the M8 motorway due to its proximity to both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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