Owners' 'difficult decision' to sell Harrogate nursery as part of deal with award-winning company

Award-winning Kids Planet has taken over the Sunbeams Day Nursery Group - which includes a nursery at Ainsty Road in Harrogate - for an undisclosed price.

The previous owners, Kate and Andrew Plews, opened the group’s first nursery in 2001 before going on to create a hugely successful business which has been rated as ‘Outstanding All Areas’ by Ofsted an impressive eight times since 2014.

Kate and Andrew say they took the decision to sell Sunbeams in order to explore new opportunities and spend more time with their family.

Following a confidential sales process with Christie & Co, it has been purchased by Kids Planet Nurseries, taking the latter to nearly 150 nurseries across the UK.

Kate and Andrew admitted it has been a hard step to take.

"Selling Sunbeams, which has been part of our lives for more than 21 years, was an incredibly difficult decision.

"Our children Tessa and Olivia, who attended Sunbeams, are now pursuing their own careers in different parts of the world and this will give us more opportunity to spend time with them.

"We chose Kids Planet to continue to grow the business and support our amazing staff team as we believe they share the same ethos towards childcare as we do.

"A big thank you to Nick and Vicky at Christie & Co for their support.”

Children at Sunbeams Day Nursery (Harrogate) are provided with care and education by skilled and professional staff who follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, purpose to meet the needs of babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children.

It also offers out of school clubs, including a before school club, an after school club, and a holiday club, all of which provide children with a fun atmosphere where they can play, draw or complete homework.

Clare Roberts, CEO at Kids Planet, said: “The Sunbeams group of nurseries perfectly complement our own values and ethos, and place strong emphasis on providing enabling environments for each unique child.”

For more information, visit www.sunbeamsdaynursery.com