He said the company had 'ambitious plans' to open between six and nine new nurseries a year, continuing the organic growth which has seen 30 facilities over the last five years - most of them new-build, including some linked to workplaces, business parks or located on popular commuter routes.
LDC has become a 'significant minority shareholder' after investing an undisclosed sum in the chain which has a total of 50 nurseries, providing 5,500 childcare places in the southeast, Cheshire, Oxford and Cambridge.
Mr Pearson confirmed that together with chairman Graham Smith he had increased his equity stake and that other members of the senior management team had obtained 'small holdings', taking their overall share beyond the 50 per cent threshold to become the major shareholder. Previously Isis Equity Partners, which backed the company from 2001, had been the majority shareholder.
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