Clare Roberts OBE, Founder and CEO at Kids Planet

In this episode of M&A Science, Clare Roberts shares her journey of founding Kids Planet and growing it into one of the UK’s largest childcare providers with 225 nurseries. She reveals how she balanced organic growth with strategic acquisitions while staying true to her company’s values. Clare discusses the importance of culture in M&A, managing seller relationships, and how to maintain operational quality during rapid expansion. If you’re scaling a business and want to do it without losing sight of what matters most, this is an episode for you.

Things you will learn:

• How to maintain company culture during rapid M&A growth

• The benefits of blending organic growth with acquisitions

• How to build trust with sellers and integrate their teams smoothly

• Why proactive leadership and transparency are key to successful integrations

Episode Chapters

• [00:01:00] Clare’s background and founding story of Kids Planet

• [00:09:30] Transitioning from private investment to private equity support

• [00:12:00] Lessons on choosing the right PE partner beyond capital

• [00:15:00] Sourcing deals and balancing culture fit in acquisitions

• [00:23:00] Typical deal structures: flexibility with freehold vs. leasehold

• [00:26:00] Buyer-led M&A: simplifying the process for sellers and prepping for integration

• [00:29:00] Integration strategy and the role of personalized support

• [00:32:00] Embedding and maintaining culture in newly acquired businesses

• [00:37:30] Common challenges post-acquisition and how to solve them

• [00:43:00] Exploring international expansion and lessons from growing in new markets

• [00:46:30] Clare’s advice for new roll-up strategies and maintaining operational quality

• [00:49:30] Craziest things seen in M&A and why lifestyle businesses pose risks