Surrey firm Nurture Group has announced its 50th and largest acquisition to date with the purchase of Oldham-based grounds maintenance and landscaping firm Tivoli Group Ltd.
“Tivoli was the fourth largest player in grounds maintenance and landscaping sector with an annual turnover in excess of £70m,” said Nurture Group.
“Together, this has created a market leading national business with a combined annual revenue of £245m (based on Nurture Group and Tivoli management accounts to March 2024) with the most comprehensive range of grounds maintenance, workplace solutions and green services in Great Britain.
“The acquisition of this highly respected business follows on from several recent acquisitions completed in 2024, including arboriculture specialists Gristwood & Toms, and three grounds maintenance businesses – Roy Cowie, Spacecare and Hortech, which together have expanded both the range of services offered by Nurture Group, and enhanced national coverage and operational depth.
“The Tivoli brand will be retained and will sit alongside the other four brands in the Nurture Group. Tivoli 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.”
Tivoli Group was formed in a carve-out from the UK grounds maintenance division of ISS, one of the largest integrated facilities management businesses in the world, rebranding as Tivoli in 2018.
Tivoli has built a strong presence with a wide range of government and public sector clients, including the UK’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) – who plan, build and maintain the estate infrastructure for the Ministry of Defence, and in addition provide services to housing associations, healthcare estates, local authorities and educational establishments.
Nurture Group executive chairman and founder Peter Fane said: “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.”
Nurture Group CEO Gareth Kirkwood said: “Today marks a significant milestone for the Nurture Group as we celebrate a key acquisition for our business. This strategic move underscores our commitment to sustainable growth and diversification, while aligning perfectly with our mission, and values.
“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 CEO Nicola Keach said: “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.”