Busy Bees announces new strategic Asian-based investment partner
Singaporean-based investment company, Temasek has agreed to acquire a stake in Busy Bees, a leading international provider of premium quality child care, from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Ontario Teachers’ will remain as majority shareholder in Busy Bees and the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2017.
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Courteney Donaldson, Managing Director - Childcare & Education at Christie & Co comments on the deal, “Across 2017 we have seen a rise in investment and interest from Asian based investors in the UK & European childcare markets, truly signifying the global nature of childcare businesses.
“Many investors from the Far East look to the British education sector as the ‘gold standard’ and this is creating ample opportunities for UK operators to secure investment, either minority, or majority, in order for export, and/ or growth opportunities overseas, or indeed domestically. With the fall in the pound on the back of Brexit there are also plenty of opportunities for overseas investors who can take advantage of the monetary gains when seeking to acquire premium platforms in the United Kingdom, and with the opening up of entrepreneurial visas, scope is provided for institutional and individual investors alike.
“The deal between Temasek and Busy Bees represents a significant investment in a UK nursery group. The transaction, one of many, albeit the most sizable of 2017, paves the way for this trend to continue into 2018 and beyond.
“Working closely with my colleague Dr Joanne Jia, Head of Asia, our services are increasingly in demand from investors based in both Singapore and across the wider ASEAN network. As nursery sector specialists, our ability to unlock opportunities is unrivalled and we look forward to the wealth of opportunities that we can introduce and facilitate for all of our clients during the year ahead.”