11/19/2021 | Childcare & Education

Kids Planet acquires first Yorkshire nursery setting

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Rainbow Private Nursery School near Tadcaster to Kids Planet.

Rainbow Private Nursery in Barkston Ash


Established in 1992, Rainbow Private Nursery School is an exceptional 227 place day nursery and out of school club. This popular childcare setting is located in Barkston Ash, a small village close to Selby and Tadcaster in North Yorkshire. It is uniquely set within circa six acres of land with the children's areas placed across three extensive buildings and with impressive landscaped outdoor play areas.  

The nursery has historically benefited from having a mixture of clients, both residents and commuters, due to its location close to excellent road links. Locally, there has been significant investment into new housing which will continue for the foreseeable future, creating an exciting opportunity for an experienced operator. 

Previous owners, Mr Karl and Mrs Harriet Shields, acquired the business through Christie & Co back in 2007, and recently decided to sell to allow them to take a well-deserved retirement from the sector.

It has been purchased by Kids Planet, one of the largest day nursery groups in the country. This marks the group’s first acquisition in Yorkshire and represents its continued growth across the whole of the UK, establishing a strong position firmly within the North East region.

Mr and Mrs Shields comment, “The childcare market continues to develop at a pace and, when we decided it was time to retire, we knew we needed specialist advice to find the right buyer for our nursery. We were determined that the new owners would share our values and would continue to build upon the excellent reputation the nursery has, so we are delighted that Kids Planet has purchased the nursery and we know it will flourish under their ownership.”

Clare Roberts CEO of Kids Planet comments, “We are delighted to have completed on the acquisition of Rainbows, our first in the Yorkshire region. We look forward to working with the team over the coming months.”

Vicky Marsland, Senior Business Agent at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Karl and Harriet during this process and I’m pleased they are now able to move on to their next chapter after almost 15 years in the sector.

“Being part of the Kids Planet group will offer a fabulous range of opportunities for the nursery’s staff whilst they continue to provide high-quality childcare and support for the children and the parents. I’m very excited to see what’s next for them within the region and moving into the new year.”

Legal advice for the sellers was provided by Julie Hughes and her team at Cripps Pemberton Greenish.

Rainbow Private Nursery School was sold for an undisclosed price.


For further information on this press release, contact:
Phoebe Burrows, Corporate Communications Executive
P: 020 7448 8849 or E: phoebe.burrows@christie.com

Contact the agent:
Vicky Marsland, Senior Business Agent – Childcare & Education
P: 07526 175 857 or E: vicky.marsland@christie.com