BUSY BEES NURSERIES LIMITED
Held by Busy Bees Holdings Limited and ultimately backed by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, the company operates a chain of early years childcare and pre-primary education nurseries across the United Kingdom.
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Cash
£2.3m
-0.7% vs 2024
Net assets
£270m
+35.3% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
6,059
+6.1% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£73m
+49.1% highest in 3 filed years
Watch the reel
Our short-form breakdown of BUSY BEES NURSERIES LIMITED's latest filing
Busy Bees pushed through fee increases to combat inflation, and it worked — profit grew twice as fast as revenue. Here's a look inside the 2025 accounts of the UK's 4th-largest nursery chain. 🧸
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Confirmation statement overdue
Due 2026-10-21.
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £280,133,000 | £315,996,000 | £378,465,000 | +19.8% | |
| Operating profit | £30,076,000 | £58,565,000 | £82,803,000 | +41.4% | |
| Profit before tax | £20,485,000 | £48,663,000 | £72,533,000 | +49.1% | |
| Net profit | £18,449,000 | £45,635,000 | £70,413,000 | +54.3% | |
| Cash | £2,166,000 | £2,350,000 | £2,334,000 | -0.7% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £285,224,000 | £342,104,000 | £420,156,000 | +22.8% | |
| Net assets | £154,091,000 | £199,726,000 | £270,139,000 | +35.3% | |
| Equity | £154,091,000 | £199,726,000 | £270,139,000 | +35.3% | |
| Average employees | 5,691 | 5,709 | 6,059 | +6.1% | |
| Wages | £141,030,000 | £157,775,000 | £177,880,000 | +12.7% | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — | — | — |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 10.7% | 18.5% | 21.9% | |
| Net margin | 6.6% | 14.4% | 18.6% | |
| Return on capital employed | 10.5% | 17.1% | 19.7% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 57.0% | 51.5% | 46.5% | |
| Current ratio | 0.11x | 0.11x | 0.17x | |
| Interest cover | 3.13x | 5.91x | 8.05x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 2 times since incorporation
- BUSY BEES NURSERIES LIMITED 1998-05-12 → present
- BUSY BEES (2) LIMITED 1997-12-17 → 1998-05-12
- BROOMCO (1409) LIMITED 1997-10-24 → 1997-12-17
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 101
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Deloitte LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Company is reliant on the support of its ultimate parent Company, Eagle Superco Limited, to be able to meet its liabilities as they fall due. However, the directors consider... is evidenced by a letter of comfort... to provide necessary financial support to ensure that the Company is a going concern”
Significant events
- “On 23 February 2026 the Group agreed with its lenders to raise a further €230.0m under its Euro TLB loan. €140.0m of this amount was drawn on 9 March 2026 with the proceeds used to settle £45.5m of drawn RCF.”
- “The Group drew a further €90.0m Euro Loan on 29 May 2026 and was used to settle a further proportion of mezzanine financing within the Group.”
- “Transfers intra group relate to the hive up of the trade and assets of Alderley Day Nursery Limited, Harlequin Childcare Limited, Goldstar Nursery Limited and Egg Childcare Limited to Busy Bees Nurseries Limited, which took place on 1 January 2025.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
3 active · 17 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAVIES, Matthew Gordon Philip | Director | 2018-12-11 | Feb 1974 | British |
| MCCANDLESS, Christopher Andrew | Director | 2025-09-03 | Jul 1978 | British |
| MULLER, Matthew Peter | Director | 2017-10-06 | Jun 1975 | British |
Show 17 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRONS, Simon Andrew | Secretary | 2007-01-03 | 2022-10-12 |
| WOODWARD, John Brian | Secretary | 1998-01-13 | 2004-06-07 |
| WOODWARD, Lynn Carol | Secretary | 2004-06-07 | 2007-01-03 |
| DLA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 1997-10-24 | 1998-01-13 |
| BEENE, Sarah Barbara | Director | 2006-08-08 | 2007-01-03 |
| CREASER, Cheryl Jayne | Director | 2022-10-12 | 2025-09-03 |
| DONOVAN, Lisa | Director | 2003-07-09 | 2004-09-09 |
| IRONS, Simon Andrew | Director | 1998-01-13 | 2022-10-12 |
| PHIZACKLEA, Clare | Director | 2012-12-01 | 2022-10-12 |
| RANDLES, Margaret Josephine | Director | 2010-09-22 | 2022-10-12 |
| RANDLES, Margaret Josephine | Director | 1998-01-13 | 2007-01-03 |
| THACKRAY, David Ian | Director | 1998-01-13 | 2007-01-03 |
| WOODWARD, John Brian | Director | 1998-01-13 | 2017-12-31 |
| WOODWARD, Lynn Carol | Director | 2010-03-30 | 2012-12-01 |
| WOODWARD, Lynn Carol | Director | 1998-01-13 | 2007-01-03 |
| DLA NOMINEES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 1997-10-24 | 1998-01-13 |
| DLA SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 1997-10-24 | 1998-01-13 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Busy Bees Holdings Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 170 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-10-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-09-29 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-09-05 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-09-04 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-10-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-09-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-09-03 | MR05 | mortgage | Mortgage charge part both with charge number | |
| 2023-10-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-08-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-10-17 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-13 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2022-10-13 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2022-10-13 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-10-13 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-10-13 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-09-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-11-26 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2021-11-26 | CH03 | officers | Change person secretary company with change date | |
| 2021-10-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 2
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.