Childcare provider keeps busy on acquisition trail
Burntwood-based childcare provider Busy Bees is continuing its acquisition spree with the purchase of two nursery schools located in Cambridgeshire.
The deal, which comes days after Busy Bees announced it had acquired Doremi, an Italian nursery group that operates seven centres in and around Milan, sees the group acquire the Scallywags Nursery sites based in Westwick and Girton.
Following the acquisition, Busy Bees now cares for more than 35,000 children across 375 nurseries in the UK and Ireland.
Recent expansions overseas bring its total to 50,000 children across more than 500 nurseries in the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Ireland, Vietnam and Australia.
Chief academic officer and co-founder of Busy Bees, Marg Randles, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Scallywags to the Busy Bees family. The settings are truly remarkable environments for children, and we look forward to working with their wonderful team to continue providing outstanding outcomes for children.
“We will ensure that our parents are kept up to date throughout the transition process as we continue to improve the excellent care, resources and services that Scallywags currently provides. We will be working very closely with the management team at Scallywags to ensure this transition is as seamless as possible for everyone involved.”
Scallywags owners, Alison and Ian Bradley, said: “Based on Busy Bees’ outstanding reputation, we’re confident that they’re the right partner. We feel they’ll carry on the legacy of the Scallywags ethos: a loving, healthy and safe environment, with special focus on nurturing an understanding and respect for the natural world and teaching children important life skills through outdoor play.”
