Country Day Nursery in Andover, Hampshire, has been sold to a boutique group operator which now owns 17 nurseries across the country.

Country Day Nursery offers a spacious, stimulating environment for up to 91 children.

It is situated in converted stables within the grounds of a former manor house and benefits from stunning grounds and nearby ancient woodland.

The nursery was purchased by Lucy and Dean Curcher in 2018 from a group of five nurseries that were being underutilised.

They took the opportunity to re-invest and grow the business to its full potential by drawing upon Lucy’s extensive experience in the childcare sector, having worked in nurseries for 39 years.

The couple chose to explore a confidential sales process with Sophie Willcox at Christie & Co in order to retire from the sector.

And the business has been purchased by a group operator.

Willcox said: “I wasn’t surprised by the level of interest that we received from well-funded, inquisitive buyers that resulted in several offers.

“Lucy has created a fantastic business that was profitable and had an excellent team in place, ticking the boxes of many buyers.

“We have had an exceptionally-busy first quarter in the Childcare team at Christie & Co and we expect this level of activity to persist throughout the year.”

Country Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.