A DAY nursery in Cheshire has been sold for an undisclosed fee.

Holly Grange Montessori Nursery, a highly successful children’s day nursery with capacity for up to 70 children, is located in the heart of Sandbach.

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, have now announced that the location has been purchased by Kids Planet Day Nurseries, which operates more than 200 day nursery settings across the UK.

Holly Grange Montessori Nursery was acquired via Christie & Co by Trudie Walker in 2020, at which time it was a struggling day nursery with low occupancy. Shortly after, Holly Grange Montessori Sandbach was established and very quickly became the go-to day nursery in the area. Over the past few years, Trudie has worked hard with her team to implement her successful Montessori model which her current and previous settings also encompass.

(Image: Christie & Co.)

Clare Roberts, CEO at Kids Planet Day Nurseries, said: “I am delighted to welcome Holly Grange Montessori Nursery into the Kids Planet family. The nursery comes with an excellent team that acts as role models to the children and creates inspiring environments that closely align with our approach. We are continuing to grow our network of award-winning nurseries, but our core values remain consistent with high-quality early years education at the heart of everything we do. I look forward to the exciting future ahead at Kids Planet with our fantastic team.”

Sofia Beck, Associate Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, said: “This really was what you would call a ‘unique’ opportunity, given how quickly and seamlessly Trudie was able to turn the nursery around, not to mention doing so in the midst of the pandemic. When I initially marketed this setting in 2020, it struggled to generate interest from buyers as the business was in a declining state and very few could see its potential.

“Trudie certainly has an eye for potential and she could see how her vision would be a great fit for the nursery and no doubt that her high-quality childcare and education would attract local parents. It’s rare to see such a transformation in increased occupancy levels and take up from new parents in such a short space of time. It’s very impressive but not at all surprising by what Trudie has created in Holly Grange Sandbach. Kids Planet is very pleased to welcome the nursery into their portfolio and hope to nurture what magic Trudie has developed.”