Award-winning preschools in Ascot sold to Grandir UK
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Puddleduck Preschools & Day Nurseries in Ascot, Berkshire.
Established in 2016, Puddleduck Preschools & Day Nurseries comprises two settings; Puddleduck Pre-School St Martins on Church Road which caters for children aged from 10 months to two years, and Puddleduck Pre-School & Day Nursery Ascot on Priory Road which caters for children aged two to five years.
The settings are located very close together, so children typically transition between the two around their second birthday. The settings have been thoughtfully planned to consider children’s interests and needs, with play at the heart of their learning. The Priory setting boasts a beautiful 40-acre woodland that the preschool utilises for its Forest school which is central to preschool life at Puddleduck.
The settings were founded by new mums, Laura Woodcock and Kristin Wright, who grew the business from strength to strength, leading it to win the Nursery World Award for Preschool of the Year in 2020. Kristin now lives in Canada with her family, and they will continue to operate their two other preschools with Laura at the helm. The sale has enabled them to regain a better work-life balance and allows them to spend more quality time with their children.
Following a confidential sales process with Sophie Willcox at Christie & Co, the two settings have been purchased by Grandir UK, taking them to 82 settings across the country.
Laura Woodcock and Kristin Wright, former owners of Puddleduck Preschools & Day Nurseries comment, “We have every confidence that Grandir will take Puddleduck from strength to strength and will continue to provide a wonderful early years experience for the young children in our community. We started Puddleduck with our own young children in our first class, so it has been part of our family since the very beginning. There is no one we would rather see take Puddleduck on.”
Lydia Hopper, CEO of Grandir UK, comments, “Kristen and Laura have successfully crafted a stellar reputation providing childcare solutions to families in the local area. They have confidently left the nursery in Grandir UK’s capable hands to continue to provide high-quality childcare where children will enjoy an enriched and unique range of education programmes, along with nurturing and inspiring learning environments. We are very much looking forward to meeting the children, families, and staff teams over the coming weeks.”
Sophie Willcox, Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, comments, “It has been a pleasure working with Laura and Kristin. This has been a challenging process, as is often the case when negotiating leases with third parties, but Laura and Kristin have been a delight to work with throughout the highs and lows. I wish them the very best of luck with their onward ventures.”
Puddleduck Preschools & Day Nurseries was sold for an undisclosed price.
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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:
Sophie Willcox, Director – Childcare & Education
P: 07736 620 855 or E: sophie.willcox@christie.com
Visit Christie & Co’s Business Search page to find out more about current childcare listings.
