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A happy medium

They may not be the biggest, but they can still be among the best. Mary Evans finds that some nursey chains are content to occupy the middle ground. The mantra of quality not quantity can be heard loud and clear from the key players among the mid-market nursery chains who have decided to run 'boutique' chains rather than become the largest providers in the sector.

The mantra of quality not quantity can be heard loud and clear from the key players among the mid-market nursery chains who have decided to run 'boutique' chains rather than become the largest providers in the sector.

They prefer to retain a personal, hands-on style of management and generate healthy profits without running on a treadmill of continual expansion. A recent study by the healthcare consultancy Laing and Buisson reported that some groups offering relatively few places are generating an annual revenue of more than 1m.

As Ian Millar, a director of Child & Co, says, 'A lot of people are making not unreasonable revenues from providing the best quality care they can. Controlling the quality is the thing.

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