Treetops cherry picks Yorkshire rival

A fast-growing Derby-based nursery operator has bought a Yorkshire rival.

Treetops Nurseries, a Derby-based operator has bought the Kindercare which was established in 1993 by Janet Standeven.

Kindercare, which is registered in Liversedge in West Yorkshire, turned over £5.6m for the year to 31 December 2015, up from £5.2m the year before, with pretax profits of £1.5m.

It operates in the ‘golden triangle’ of Leeds, York and Harrogate.

The acquisition adds 10 sites and 900 children’s places to Treetops’ portfolio, as it looks to grow its presence in the UK from 49 nurseries.

Treetops provides spaces for around 9,000 children.

Charles Eggleston, chief executive of Treetops Nurseries, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming KinderCare into the Treetops family. The nurseries are very well known in Yorkshire and complement our already popular nurseries in Pudsey and Headingley, as well as adding new locations in Harrogate, York, Rippon and East Keswick.

“KinderCare has a fantastic reputation in the area, delivering good quality childcare to well over 1,000 families – something that we will work hard with the teams to maintain and keep improving.

“This acquisition is the first in our 2016 expansion plans and sees Treetops cement its position as one of the top nursery providers in the UK.”