30-year-old Derbyshire day nursery sold as owner retires

Established in 1994, The Lanes Day Nursery is a popular setting and one of the few nurseries still running a successful out-of-school club in the area. It has the capacity for up to 42 children and enjoys both an excellent reputation and a ‘Good’ CQC rating. It is located in a busy area in the Derbyshire town of Ilkeston.

The business has been owned by Angela Mold since 1994 and was brought to market to allow her to retire.

Following a confidential sales process with Jassi Sunner at Christie & Co, it has been purchased by Oak Wood Early Years Limited which comprises Oak House Nursery and now The Lanes.

Emily Waez, Manager at Oak Wood Early Years Limited, comments, “We thank Angela for all of her hard work and wish her the best for the future; we look forward to building on the solid foundation she has created. We already operate an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ nursery setting in Derbyshire, and we look forward to implementing our ethos and frameworks into The Lanes Day Nursery.”

Jassi Sunner, Associate Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, comments, “Lanes Day Nursery held a unique position on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and, therefore, was always likely to attract a range of interest. Following a thorough marketing process, our client was delighted to select a local operator to continue the good work she had put in place and allow some synergy between her nursery and their existing set-up. This is another example of the confidence in the sector and the focus of activity in the Midlands at the moment where we have seen a number of sales over the long, medium and short term.

“Due to the funding changes this year, we are seeing an increase in activity from new entrants or smaller operators in the sector who are looking to benefit from the changes the sector will provide. Adopting tried and tested local approaches to childcare alongside managing local authority funding will be key to enabling the Government strategy to increase nursery uptake.”

The Lanes Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.