Nursery group MiChild has acquired the premises of former nursery Little Angels in a lease sale facilitated by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.

The bungalow property in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire. which previously operated as a children’s day nursery, was recently part-refurbished to provide childcare to up to 66 children.

The owner of the property and now landlord, Anthony Tasker, had obtained planning permission for a loft conversion extension to the building, which will accommodate an additional playroom, staff room and toilets.

Following a sales process with Sofia Beck, director – childcare and education at Christie & Co, the vacant premises has been leased by MiChild, which now has 14 nursery settings across the Northwest of England.

Adam Sage, MiChild chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Little Thornton (renamed from Little Angels) nursery to the MiChild Group. It was obvious from the first time I viewed the nursery and met with Tony, that this would be an excellent strategic fit for our other settings in the nearby area.”

He added: “It is a beautiful nursery and provides a great opportunity in a thriving area and we have already embarked on an extensive refurbishment programme and we will be ready to open shortly after Easter. Little Thornton is the first new addition to our group for over four years and represents our desire to now accelerate our growth plan and continue to add quality nurseries to our portfolio.”

Beck said: “This marks the second time in seven years that I have facilitated the transfer of ownership for this setting. It’s always interesting to observe how the market has evolved during this period and to compare the differences in each sales process. Given that this was a vacant day nursery, we were able to list it non-confidentially, which attracted an unprecedented level of immediate interest from the market.”

She added: “This highlights the growing demand for vacant premises that have been or can be converted into nurseries. It appears to be a popular choice for operators who prefer to develop their nursery organically and align it with their existing settings or group.”