North West nursery group expands with £12m funding and Bristol acquisition

North West nursery group Just Childcare has secured more than £12m funding to support its expansion and development.

The company, which has sites in the North West and Yorkshire, announced the investment on Friday (May 4) alongside its acquisition of five-strong nursery group Abbeywood Tots in Bristol.

The deal has bumped Just Childcare’s portfolio of nurseries up from 33 to 38 sites and 2,752 child places.

Entrepreneurial couple David and Jacqueline Johnson founded the business in 2004.

David, director of Tameside-headquartered Just Childcare, said: “Having built our reputation for providing a supportive, nurturing and inspiring service to thousands of families in the North, we are now looking forward to offering the very same to families living in the South.

“The substantial investment we have received from Allied Irish Bank and Phoenix Equity Partners has enabled us to realise our vision of extending our reach across the country, and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome the Abbeywood Tots children, parents and staff to our family.”

He added: “Jacqueline and I have previous experience of working with nurseries in Bristol, and are very much looking forward to returning to this wonderful community and working with our new colleagues.”