Banana Moon nurseries acquired by The Learning Experience

Banana Moon Day Nursery has been acquired by The Learning Experience (TLE), one of the fastest-growing educational childcare companies. The acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for Banana Moon and strengthens The Learning Experience's long-term commitment to the UK early years sector.

Every existing Banana Moon nursery across the network will continue to operate under the Banana Moon name and brand, led by co-founder and managing director Mark Bates and the same experienced local leadership team. Founded by father-and-son team Michael and Mark Bates, Banana Moon will continue under Mark's leadership as Michael begins his well-earned retirement. There will be no disruption to the day-to-day experience for children, families or staff.

"For more than three years, we got to know Mark, his father Michael, and the wider Banana Moon team, and it became clear this was a business that shared our values and our commitment to putting children first and building a brand families can trust," said Richard Weissman, co-founder, chairman and CEO of The Learning Experience.

"We didn't join forces with Banana Moon to change what makes it special. We joined forces to help it grow. Banana Moon keeps its name, its people and its culture, and together we're creating even greater opportunities for Banana Moon, its franchisees and the families they serve."

The partnership brings together the strengths of two established early years organisations, creating new opportunities to share best practices, invest in innovation and expand the resources available to Banana Moon franchisees. Over time, franchisees will benefit from additional technology, marketing, educational and operational support while Banana Moon continues to operate under its established brand and leadership.

Franchisees will also gain access to CORE, TLE's proprietary technology platform, which provides real-time dashboards, AI-supported coaching and predictive analytics to key areas including attendance, family communications, scheduling and billing, giving owners and their teams greater visibility into their businesses and helping simplify day-to-day operations.

"We're incredibly proud of what Banana Moon has built over the past two decades," said Bates. "This partnership allows us to build on that success while staying true to the values, culture and relationships that define Banana Moon. Together, we're creating even greater opportunities to grow our network, support our franchisees and bring the Banana Moon experience to more families across the UK."

The partnership marks the beginning of a new phase of growth for Banana Moon across the UK. The Learning Experience is committed to investing in the continued expansion of the Banana Moon network, actively seeking opportunities to open new nursery locations throughout the United Kingdom while continuing to support growth and occupancy across existing nurseries.

For prospective franchisees, Banana Moon continues to offer an established British nursery brand, an experienced leadership team and a strong franchise community. Through the partnership with The Learning Experience, franchisees will also benefit from the scale, experience and resources of one of the world's leading educational childcare franchise organisations.

The announcement comes as expanded government-funded childcare is increasing access to early years places across England, creating a significant opportunity for franchise growth.

"What excites me most is that we don't have to choose between protecting what we've built and moving the business forward," Bates said. "We can do both. Banana Moon has a strong identity, an experienced team and franchisees who care deeply about their nurseries. Together, we're well positioned to continue growing the Banana Moon network while staying true to the values and culture that have defined our brand from the beginning."