Press Release

Leading UK law firm Shoosmiths has advised N Family Group in its recent expansion, after securing £42.5 million to grow its portfolio to more than 80 sites.

The firm advised the nursey group in its latest investment round, with plans to increase its sites from 20 to more than 80 by 2025, adding more than 5,000 childcare places and employing an additional 3,000 staff. The investment was made by asset management firm Gresham House, its first investment in the education sector via its second sustainability flagship fund – the British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund II (BSIF II), alongside existing investor the Steyn Group as minority shareholders in the business.

The Shoosmiths team was led by partner Alastair Peet, with support from a corporate team of principal associate Ania Vernon, senior associates Charlotte Cannell and Gregg Harris, and paralegal Sharon Nicholls. The firm has acted for N Family Club since 2019, advising throughout the significant expansion of the nursery group as it continues to work towards creating thousands of new nursery places.

Alastair Peet, corporate partner at Shoosmiths, commented: “It has been fantastic to continue our work with N Family Club as they rapidly become one of the largest nursery groups in the UK. This recent investment advances their growth plans even further and we look forward to seeing their continued success.”

Chief executive and founder of N Family Group, Phil Sunderland, added: “This significant investment from Gresham House and their BSIF II fund, represents a huge vote of confidence in our team’s approach to early years education and our strong sustainability ethos. Alongside the Steyn Group and our existing investors, their financial support, expertise, and shared commitment to promoting wellbeing and sustainability will enable us to accelerate our growth plans, creating thousands of new nursery places, new jobs, and new possibilities for parents - and we are grateful for the support of Shoosmiths as we enter this exciting next chapter.”