One of the UK’s largest founder-owned nursery groups, with over 20 settings across the East of England and East London, has been acquired by AcadeMedia, marking the Swedish education group’s entry into the UK early years market.
Leading business and financial advisor Grant Thornton UK confirms its role as lead advisor on the sale of Chestnut Nursery Schools to AcadeMedia, Europe’s largest education company, with presence in seven countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland and the UK.
Founded over 20 years ago by Steven Davies and David Saunders from a single site, Chestnut has grown into a group of 21 nurseries spanning three regions: Cambridge, Norfolk and East London. The business has remained independent owned throughout, making it one of the largest few founder-owned nursery groups operating at this scale in the UK.
For AcadeMedia, the acquisition represents their first move into the UK nursery market, adding a proven, regionally diverse early years education provider to their European portfolio.
Stuart Davies, Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton UK, led the firm’s advisory team, which provided a fully integrated service across Corporate Finance, Tax, Financial Modelling and Financial Due Diligence.
Mills & Reeve, led by Partner Jonathan Greenwood, provided legal advice to the Chestnut shareholders.
Stuart Davies, Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton UK said:
“Chestnut is a genuinely impressive business – built from a single nursery in East London into a 21-site group over two decades, with a reputation for quality that speaks for itself. The founders set a clear goal, and it was a privilege to bring together our Corporate Finance, Tax, Financial Modelling and Financial Due Diligence teams to deliver a result they could be proud of. We wish Chestnut every success as part of the AcadeMedia family.”
Jonathan Greenwood, Corporate Partner at Mills & Reeve said:
“It has been a pleasure to have been able to support the Chestnut shareholders with their exit and to work alongside Stuart and his team at Grant Thornton. From the outset, we worked closely with the shareholders to achieve a realisation of their ambitions and the outcome is a true reflection of the quality of the group. We wish both the shareholders and AcadeMedia all the best for the future.”
Steven Davies, Co-Founder of Chestnut Nursery Schools added:
“It was a pleasure working with the Grant Thornton team, whose expert advice and proactive support were instrumental in delivering a successful transaction. Having built Chestnut across more than 20 years, achieving our objectives was hugely important. Their guidance has positioned the business strongly for its next phase, and we are delighted with the outcome.”
The transaction underlines Grant Thornton UK’s track record in the education and early years sector, and its ability to deliver fully integrated advisory services for founder-owned businesses at pivotal moments in their journey.
