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Grandir UK buys Three Little Birds nursery group

Grandir UK has acquired the Three Little Birds group to grow to 70 nurseries.
Three Little Birds in Chingford, part of a 10-strong group acquired by Grandir UK
Three Little Birds in Chingford, part of a 10-strong group acquired by Grandir UK

Three Little Birds was set up in 2019, and the deal also includes the London Pre-schools.

The group grew to 10 nurseries based in London and Hertfordshire, with settings in Anerley, Chingford, Clerkenwell Mount, Crystal Palace, Penge East, Harpenden, Muswell Hill, Wandsworth, West Finchley, and Winchmore Hill.

Grandir UK trades under the Kiddi Caru and Dickie Birds brands, and now operates settings across the country in London, the South West, the Midlands, South, East, and Central England.

The move follows several deals in the last six months for Grandir UK, which has added 20 more settings since March, when it was listed in Nursery World’s Nursery Chains 2022 as the eighth largest group in the UK, operating 50 nurseries and providing more than 4,300 childcare places.

Lydia Hopper, CEO of Grandir UK, said, ‘A very warm welcome to all the children, families and the nursery teams! We are very much looking forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks.’

Former joint CEOs and founders of Three Little Birds, James and Edward Morris, said, ‘The children, their families and the nursery teams are at the heart of everything we do, and we know Grandir UK are aligned on the quality and this ethos, so they are a great fit to continue what we have successfully achieved over the past three years.’

Hopper added, ‘James and Edward have successfully crafted a stellar reputation for Three Little Birds since 2019, providing childcare solutions to families in the local area.

‘They have confidently left the nurseries 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, nurturing and inspiring learning environments full of awe and wonder and dedicated nursery teams who model behaviours, attitudes, and practices where children can explore, experiment, discover and ultimately flourish.’

She added that the nursery teams would ‘reap the rewards’ of being part of a larger group, with benefits such as a dedicated resource to professional development, as well as access to the savings and rewards and recognition employee platform, GrandCentral, launched this year across Grandir UK.

Grandir UK's string of acquisitions this year include the three Maggie & Rose nurseries in London in August.

This followed the Rushcliffe Day Nurseries group of three settings in Nottingham, as well as Pippins Day Nursery in Colchester, both in June.

Kiddi Caru was acquired by Les Petits Chaperons Rouges in 2017, which is part of international company Grandir, which operates early years settings at more than 1,000 sites in France, England, Germany, Spain, Canada and the USA.