Hampshire: Nursery provider Yellow Dot sold to Bright Horizons

Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has sold Yellow Dot Holdings and subsidiary companies, a portfolio of 12 day nurseries located in affluent areas across central Hampshire with a combined operating capacity for 794 children.

Founded by managing director Jane Dyke in 1997, Yellow Dot benefits from a locally renowned and highly regarded brand. The business comprises purpose-built nurseries and converted residences, former public houses and commercial properties. Each setting has been purposely designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities and many of the children’s rooms provide direct access to exceptional outdoor children’s play and activity environments.

Yellow Dot has been acquired by leading childcare provider Bright Horizons Family Solutions. A statement said: "The offer was accepted as a result of the companies’ shared visions and cultures of promoting exceptional and high quality childcare."

The addition of Yellow Dot brings Bright Horizons’ total number of nurseries in the UK to more than 320 and more than 1,000 worldwide.

Acting on behalf of Jane and Trevor Dyke, Courteney Donaldson, managing director – childcare & education, and Nick Brown, head of brokerage – childcare at Christie & Co handled the sale of Yellow Dot.

Donaldson commented: “Last autumn, Jane and I discussed the scope to achieve a premium price in the event of a professionally executed sale process through Christie & Co. Following weeks of preparation, the opportunity to acquire Yellow Dot's nurseries was introduced to a carefully selected pool of potential buyers in early December who were invited into the confidential sales process. In early February, we received multiple offers, over the asking price, from a wide variety of trade operators and investors alike, with deliverable offers being presented by both UK based and overseas parties. Due to the amount of pre-transaction works which were undertaken prior to the commencement of the sale, the period from the deal being agreed through completion took a mere seven weeks.”

Brown commented: “It has been a pleasure working with Jane and her advisors on her exceptional group of childcare settings. Whilst we anticipated the interest would be strong on this project, we have all been delighted at the worldwide interest that this sale has generated. Access to the most active well financed existing operators and to emerging new entrants to the market has helped make this a market setting deal which has been completed in a highly confidential manner.

“We are delighted to have facilitated the sale of this exceptional and market leading portfolio and we wish Jane, Trevor and Bright Horizons all the best.”