Nurture Group buys Tivoli in its largest acquisition to date

The Nurture Group has acquired Tivoli Group Ltd, in a deal which was completed last week.

The purchase of Tivoli, which was the fourth largest player in the grounds maintenance and landscaping sector with an annual turnover in excess of £70 million marks Nuture Group’s 50th and largest acquisition to date. Together, this has created a market leading national business with a combined annual revenue of £245 million with the most comprehensive range of grounds maintenance, workplace solutions and green services in Great Britain.

The move further strengthens the newly combined company’s position in the grounds maintenance and landscaping sector, particularly in the public sector where Tivoli brings an extensive amount of expertise as well as an impressive client portfolio, including the UK’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). The acquisition enhances Nurture’s scale and operational density, enabling greater efficiencies and improved service delivery for clients across the board.

The Tivoli brand will be retained and will sit alongside the other four brands in the Nurture Group. The transferring teams will continue to serve their clients, operating as Tivoli under the Nurture Group banner alongside Nurture Landscapes, Gavin Jones, Gristwood & Toms and Nurture Pest Control.

The Nurture Group is led by Executive Chairman and founder of the Nurture Group, Peter Fane, and Gareth Kirkwood OBE, CEO and delivered impressive growth year-on-year since it was formed in 2008. This has been achieved through successful integrations of carefully targeted acquisitions combined with very strong organic growth.

Tivoli Group was formed from a carve-out from the UK grounds maintenance division of ISS, rebranding as Tivoli in 2018. The acquisition of Tivoli brings the story full circle for Peter Fane, who founded Waterers Landscapes in 1983, before successfully selling the business to ISS in 2003 to form its UK grounds maintenance division. Fane served on the board of ISS for four years, before founding Nurture in 2008.

Fane said of the acquisition: “This is a superb marriage of differentiated businesses with much history and mutual respect. The combination of our skills, clients, reach and greater scale will put Nurture indisputably at the pinnacle of our sector. The enhanced scale and density across Great Britain, particularly in key segments, will drive greater operational efficiencies, delivery of an even better experience for clients, with improved value, range and service quality. At the same time, our shared commitment to direct service delivery through our employees will enhance the experience for our colleagues on the ground.”

Kirkwood commented: “Both the Nurture Group and Tivoli share a common purpose – enhancing the landscape, improving biodiversity and sustainability for our clients and delivering service excellence – which makes this partnership a natural fit. Together, we are well-positioned to serve our clients across the private and public sectors with truly national coverage service, and a broad range of directly delivered services including Landscape Design and Construction, Grounds Maintenance, Winter Gritting, Arboriculture, Interior and Exterior Plant Displays, Pest Control and Green Solutions. This will enable us to provide even greater service to our clients while further enhancing our ESG commitments.”

Tivoli’s outgoing Chief Executive, Nicola Keach, added: “I am incredibly proud of what the Tivoli team has built and achieved with Sullivan Street’s support. It is testament to the hard work, passion and commitment of our teams over many years. Our values and culture are aligned with Nurture’s as well as a strong commitment for delivering best in class services for our customers, which is why I am delighted that the next stage of our journey will be together as a combined organisation with the Tivoli brand continuing to serve our valued clients. The blending of our complementary technical and operational skills and resources will add real value to clients and colleagues alike.”