Midlands-based day nursery group joins Storal in landmark acquisition

Founded in 1988 by Margaret Mason OBE, Children 1st Day Nurseries is renowned within the sector for providing the highest levels of childcare across 24 day nursery settings located in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire. The group also includes a leading training centre in the Midlands and Sheffield. Together, these exceptional settings offer circa 2,567 childcare places and continue to grow year on year with a group turnover fast approaching £30 million.

Following a sales process with Nick Brown and Courteney Donaldson at Christie & Co, the group has been purchased by Storal. With this acquisition, Storal has become one of the largest and highest-rated, quality nursery groups in the sector, offering over 5,000 places across 52 nursery settings.

Margaret Mason OBE, founder and former owner of Children 1st Day Nurseries, comments, “I can’t imagine it in better hands. It’s been my focus for so many years and I’m delighted that it will continue to flourish under Storal’s management. I’m so proud of the amazing and experienced team who have built Children 1st alongside me for so long, and I’m confident that Sarah is the right person to lead them and the business into the future, with her experience and long-term commitment to delivering quality provision and team wellbeing. I also know from our discussions that Storal shares our core values and has the backing and resources to move what we’ve built at Children 1st forward.”

Sarah Mackenzie, Chief Executive at Storal, comments, “I’ve been following Children 1st from afar for many years. Throughout my career, I’ve looked to Children 1st as one of the great pioneers of high-quality years education in the sector. I have enormous admiration for everything Margaret has built and believe she has created an everlasting legacy, both at Children 1st and in the wider sector.” 

Nick Brown, Director & Head of Brokerage – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, comments, “It was a privilege to be invited by Margaret and the family to run this once in a lifetime process for one of the most sought-after groups in the UK. A highly confidential process resulted in a superb result for not only Margaret but also Storal. A prerequisite for the family during this process was to make sure that the group was passed onto the right people who would continue to build and nurture all of the attributes that Margaret has instilled into her staff and the children over the last 36 years. This is the end of an era for the family and, as a broker, I have always dreamed of one day selling this group and we are delighted and very proud to have been able to make this happen. Margaret has been one of the leading lights in early years education for more than three decades – earning an OBE for her commitment to raising standards in Early Years education. She will continue her work with children through her Foundation ‘Children 1st Trust’, which supports children and families in her local community.”

Children 1st Day Nurseries was sold for an undisclosed price.

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For further information on this press release, contact:
Phoebe Hill, Associate Director – Corporate Communications
P: 07540 063 598 or E: phoebe.hill@christie.com

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