Nottingham nursery group acquired by counterpart

Kids Planet Day Care Nurseries has acquired Hollies, a group of five day nurseries in Nottingham.

Hollies, with 30 years of experience in childcare, aligns well with the values of Kids Planet, which also provides early-years childcare.

Founded in 2008 by Clare Roberts and her father, John Hoban, Kids Planet started with two locations in Warrington and Widnes.

Under the leadership of Clare Roberts as CEO and Lucy Kaczmarska as operations director, Kids Planet continues to operate as a family-run, family-focused business.

Roberts said: “I am delighted to welcome Hollies into the Kids Planet family, growing our presence in the Nottingham area. Hollies’ focus on inspiring learning environments is closely aligned with our approach and we look forward to working with the teams and families moving forward.

“The acquisition takes Kids Planet over 200 nurseries, a milestone we can be proud of, and a testament to the dedication of our wonderful colleagues, who have grown and developed alongside the business over the past 16 years. Our core values have remained consistent and embedded in our day-to-day work, and I would like to say a huge well done and thank you to everyone who has been on this journey. I look forward to the exciting future ahead for Kids Planet.”

Becky and Drew Pike, former owners of Hollies, said: “Hollies have been a part of our lives for 32 years and growing from one to five nurseries has been an incredible journey, deciding to sell extremely difficult. We knew Kids Planet was the right team to take it forward as our work ethic and ethos are closely aligned. We recognise the value of having a progressive team with a focus on quality and we found this to be the case in our very first meeting with Kids Planet. We are going to miss our dedicated and loving team. We wish them, the children and families every success and a wonderful future.”