The Lymm-headquartered business bought Liverpool Nurseries (Holdings) from venture capital trusts managed by Downing.

After initially acquiring two nurseries in Warrington and Widnes, the company has expanded rapidly and now also has nurseries in Crewe, Dukinfield, Hale, Lymm, Prestwich, Sale, Salford and Springhead.

The latest deal sees it acquire the House Day Nursery, Greenbank Park Day Nursery and the Cottage Day Nursery in Liverpool.

Clare Roberts, chief executive of Kids Planet Day Nurseries, said: "Childcare is now a way of life, a far cry from the days when friends or family would turn their nose up at the idea of leaving children to go to work. There's now a need for parents to find nurseries that not only offer a great environment for their children but are also flexible enough to meet their own needs.

"We're now very excited to be moving into Liverpool and look forward to opening more nurseries in the years to come."

Kids Planet was advised on the deal by Mark Traynor, Helen Marsh and Sherrelle Scott of HRC Law.

Traynor, a partner at HRC Law, said "This is an excellent strategic acquisition for our clients. The management team at Kids Planet are a pleasure to deal with and we have no doubt that Kids Planet will be a huge success in Liverpool."

Corporate finance advice was provided to the buyer by John Jones at Beever and Struthers, funding was provided by Barclays led by Matt Ryan and the sellers were advised by Mike Hinchliffe and Dan Linton at Addleshaw Goddard.