‘Outstanding’ Essex nursery sold for the first time to Grandir UK

Established in 2002 by Mrs Paula Smith, Toad Hall is an ‘Outstanding’ purpose-built day nursery which caters for up to 76 children aged zero to four years. The setting enjoys an excellent reputation, consistently high levels of occupancy, and has been recognised for many awards by leading sector organisations, including ‘Nursery Manager of the Year’ and ‘Individual Nursery of the Year’.

The business is co-located with a leading local primary school in the affluent south Essex town of Rayleigh. This excellent location appeals to parents with older children at primary school, and both commuting and locally based parents.

Following a confidential sales process with Christie & Co, Toad Hall has been purchased by the childcare group, Grandir UK, which now has a total of 60 settings across London, the South West, Midlands, South, East and Central England.

Lydia Hopper, Managing Director at Grandir UK, comments, “A very warm welcome to all the children, families and the team at Toad Hall Day Nursery! Toad Hall Day Nursery is a fantastic addition to the group with an aligned vision of educating and preparing children for life. We are very much looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks.”

David Eaves, Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “It was a pleasure to support Paula and Nigel with the sale of their outstanding setting. Having designed and built the nursery themselves 20 years ago, it was clear from the outset that Toad Hall would attract significant interest in the market due to its reputation, location, and ethos of providing outstanding care and education. As expected, we were in receipt of multiple offers from well-funded, experienced operators, and the bidding process was hugely competitive, resulting in an excellent outcome for our client.

“This fantastic sale yet again demonstrates the demand in the market for quality nurseries, and Essex has consistently been a geography where demand outstrips supply. In the current economic climate, it is critically important for those thinking of selling to get the right advice which, at Christie & Co, we take great pride in providing and, in turn, ensuring we achieve the best results.”

Toad Hall Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.

For further information on this press release, contact:
Phoebe Burrows, Corporate Communications Manager
P: 07540 063 598 or E: phoebe.burrows@christie.com

Contact the agent:
David Eaves, director – Childcare & Education
P: 07711 767 094 or E: david.eaves@christie.com

Visit Christie & Co’s Business Search page to find out more about current childcare listings.