The group, which was established over 30 years ago in Cornwall, plans to expand further into the south-west through a mixture of ‘organic growth’ and acquisitions. It is due to open new sites in Salisbury, Yate and Taunton next year.
It will also use the funding from Zetland Capital to improve its existing 18 nurseries, which are based across Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Swindon and Bristol. Together the sites provide places for nearly 2,000 children and are all rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.
The private equity investment follows a restructure of the group’s senior leadership team over the past year.
Happy Days’ managing director Kim Herbert said, ‘We are delighted to have secured this investment from Zetland which will allow us to provide inspirational care and education to more children across the south-west, while investing in our existing nurseries and teams to improve environments, support staff development and ensure every child at a Happy Days Nursery has the best possible start in life.’
Mark Beadle, executive chairman of Happy Days, added, ‘After two challenging years, we are looking forward to growing our family of nurseries; creating new jobs, affordable quality childcare for families and building a company culture that values and rewards colleagues.’
Ahmed Hamdani, managing partner at Zetland, said, ‘We are excited to have made this investment into such a high-quality portfolio of nurseries. We are partnering with a highly experienced team and will back them and their team with substantial investment to grow Happy Days into one of the leading nursery chains in the country.’
Alice Gardner, corporate partner at law firm TLT, which handled the legalities of the sale, commented, 'We’re pleased to have advised Happy Days on this deal, drawing on the strength and depth of our team and working with the company and the management team on all aspects of the investment.'