Since the Nursery Chains supplement was first published 12 years ago, the number of nursery chains in the directory has continued to grow with every year. To reflect the strength in numbers in the sector today, we have increased the list of British and Irish chains in our annual top table from 20 to 25, in doing so bringing new names to the fore.
The first issue of the supplement, which was published in 1998, featured just 70 nursery groups, operating 550 nurseries, creche and out-of-school clubs.
This year, we are publishing details of more than 160 nursery chains, including 15 new entries.
Among them are groups that own or manage nurseries and creches, some of them also running after-school and holiday clubs, and - a sure sign of how far the private and voluntary sector has increased its provision - many nursery groups, such as the Pre-School Learning Alliance and London Early Years Foundation, are now heavily involved in running daycare in Sure Start Children's Centres.
The directory bears witness to the fact that the recession has not hampered the growth of nursery businesses for those with owners or management able to access bank loans and private equity deals to fuel their development.
Between them, the top 25 largest groups run 881 nurseries and creches, offering an impressive 67,707 childcare places. With the big nursery groups mostly secure in their position, there are no significant changes in pecking order in the top half of the table - with one exception. The success story of the year among the biggest groups is the dramatic expansion of Treetops, which elevates it from 13th place last year to number nine in 2010. The group added a further nine nurseries to its portfolio.
The group has increased in size through acquisition of both small nursery groups and individual settings. In January, Treetops acquired Bright New Minds and My Day Nurseries, picking up seven settings and 500 more places in one month, instantly propelling the group into the top ten.
Speaking of the takeoverrs at the time, managing director David Hancock told Nursery World, 'Our target is 40 or 50 nurseries.'
Over the summer, Treetops also bought Vicar Water Day Nursery in Nottinghamshire, and last month a 100-place nursery and baby unit was acquired in Belper, Derbyshire.
The group now owns 31 nurseries offering 2,236 places, with settings spread across central England and in and around the London area.
There has been relatively little movement elsewhere near the top of the table - some have not expanded at all over the past 12 months and some have lost a few settings on the way.
Bright Horizons, for example, now has five fewer settings than last year, and both Busy Bees and Just Learning are down in number by three nurseries apiece.
In contrast, Kidsunlimited, which retains its fifth place in the table, has at least four nurseries opening next year at Esher, Oxford, Reigate and Maidstone.
In eighth place, Bertram Nursery Group is continuing to grow through development and acquisitions, and plans to open three more nurseries over the next six months.
Throughout the directory there are signs that the sector is holding up well in the teeth of the recession. Many small to medium-sized groups reveal their plans for expansion.
In fact, there has been much more expansion in the bottom half of the table. Irish operator Cocoon Nurseries, for instance, has grown rapidly since opening its first setting in 2003 and now has 15 childcare centres, primarily in and around Dublin.
In 20th place, the London Early Years Foundation opened its 20th nursery at the House of Commons last month.
The Old Station Nursery has continued to expand, opening two more sites this year.
In September, this group opened its 14th setting, providing nursery care to the multinational families at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire, the new home for Nato's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). The ARRC includes 600 families made up of 15 different nationalities.
The £1.6m eco-friendly nursery provides 64 places and is the Old Station's fifth nursery catering for military families, with the others based at RAF bases.
It's an interesting niche. Owner Sarah Steel, who used to be in the army herself, has four other nurseries in RAF bases.
In 19th place is Kids 1st Day Nurseries. Another new entry to the table this year, the group now has eight nurseries in the north-east of England, with several settings based at NHS hospital sites.
The family-run business opened its first nursery just six years ago in 2004 and now offers 856 places. The group's eighth nursery opened in Newcastle in September in a £1.4m purpose-built setting at Quorum Business Park.
Kinder Nurseries, coming in at number 21, owns nine nurseries and ten out-of-school centres, all based in Kent. The chain offers a combined total of 827 nursery places.
Finally, Magic Nurseries is the 25th-largest group in terms of nursery places, with ten settings in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. It plans to continue rapid expansion by acquiring high-quality individual nurseries and small groups. We expect it to move up the table.
Places for Children, which now has 729 places, misses out on a seat at the top table by just one place. The group runs 12 nurseries and is readying a new site in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, for opening in January.
The 15 new nurseries listed in this year's directory range in size from small clusters of three settings to medium-size groups of six or more nurseries. Many of them have active plans for expansion.
The medium-sized chains include Kid Ease - which is among the 'New Kids' profiled in this supplement - and Active Learning, both offering more than 500 nursery places.
Another 'New Kid', Yellow Dot, owns four nurseries and two kindergartens in Hampshire and is opening a 64-place nursery in March 2011.
Active Learning, which has half a dozen nurseries, all in London, is nurturing plans to open a new nursery in Southgate next year.
Another group new to the directory is Townsend Montessori Nurseries. It opened its first nursery five years ago, and is working on two more, both in Kent: a 100-place nursery in Ashford later this year and a 78-place nursery in Faversham early next year.
The group also operates holiday clubs at its four existing nurseries.