TLT advises Happy Days Nurseries on portfolio expansion

National law firm TLT has advised children's nursery group Happy Days on the expansion of its portfolio, with the acquisition of Toddletown and Mulberry Corner Day Nurseries.

Following the acquisition, Happy Days now operates 27 children’s nurseries across the United Kingdom, providing a service which enables parents to work and live their daily lives knowing their children are cared for to the highest standard.

These acquisitions are the latest stage of Happy Days’ strategic growth plans, which will see them expand into new regions of the country outside of the South West of England. The deal is the most recent of a number of acquisitions undertaken since receiving investment from Zetland Capital in 2022, in a deal which TLT also advised on.

TLT advised on the transaction documents and provided detailed real estate and planning due diligence for Happy Days. The team was led by corporate partner Alice Gardner, with support from legal director Leanne Fryer and associate Joanna Grover. The deal also required cross practice support across TLT including Ed Pitt and Zoe Green in the real estate team, Kate James in the planning team, and Bethany Drew in the banking team.

Marcia Viccars, M&A director of Happy Days said: “This deal is a major boost to our ambitious expansion plans, and it is exciting to see the business expanding into new areas of the country. The staff team at all three settings will remain in place and we are looking forward to working with them, to continue to provide quality childcare, ensuring all children have the best possible start in life.

“We would also like to extend our thanks to the team at TLT, who provided excellent advice navigating us through the acquisition process. Their hard work and expertise were integral to the successful completion of the transaction.”

Corporate partner Alice Gardner added: “TLT has a long-standing relationship with Happy Days and its management team, and this was really beneficial in closing this deal. We are really pleased that we were able to help further Happy Days’ ambitious plans to grow their portfolio of excellent nurseries.

“More broadly, this deal is a good demonstration of how private equity backed companies can really accelerate their growth into new geographical areas. It is also demonstrative of the increasing prevalence of larger providers of childcare services and educational facilities, rather than smaller providers of pre-school childcare.”