Thomson Snell & Passmore advises Nurture Group on acquisition of Tivoli

Deal marks emergence of Britain’s largest integrated landscape and grounds maintenance business

The Nurture Group has completed its 50th and largest acquisition to date with the purchase of Tivoli Group Ltd. Tivoli was the fourth largest player in the grounds maintenance and landscaping sector with an annual turnover in excess of £70m. Together, this has created a market leading national business with a combined annual revenue of £245m, with the most comprehensive range of grounds maintenance, workplace solutions and green services in Great Britain. Law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore advised long standing client Nurture Group on the transaction.

Tivoli will become a fifth brand in the Nurture Group, retaining its identity, and will continue to serve its clients, operating under the Nurture Group banner alongside Nurture Landscapes, Gavin Jones, Gristwood & Toms and Nurture Pest Control.

The Nurture Group has made a string of high-profile acquisitions in recent years, which has been led by Executive Chairman and Founder of the Nurture Group, Peter Fane, and Gareth Kirkwood OBE, CEO. Thomson Snell & Passmore has acted on Nurture’s behalf on each of its 50 acquisitions, other than three in Scotland.

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. The acquisition enhances Nurture’s scale and operational density, enabling greater efficiencies and improved service delivery for clients across the board.

Both businesses are built on shared values with an aligned culture of service excellence. Central to the way both businesses have operated is the focus on direct delivery through a combined workforce of over 4,400 colleagues. Nurture’s commitment as a Real Living Wage employer will also be extended to the 1,400 colleagues who have joined from Tivoli, with effect from April 2025.

Tivoli Group was formed from 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. 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 their UK grounds maintenance division. Peter served on the board of ISS for four years, before founding Nurture in 2008.

Peter Fane, Executive Chairman of Nurture Group comments: “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.

“I would especially like to thank the legal team at Thomson Snell & Passmore. Their help and support was much appreciated in bringing this deal to fruition.”

Jason Varney, Partner in the Corporate department, led the transaction team at Thomson Snell & Passmore supported by Joseph Hartland (Senior Associate, Corporate / M&A). They were assisted by William Chivers (Associate), Luke Guinan (Associate), Rachel Macmillan (Solicitor) and Harry Roffey (Solicitor) in the Corporate team. Due to the nature of the transaction, the deal necessitated a multidisciplinary project team, which included Ben Stepney (Partner, Employment), Joanne Wright (Partner, Real Estate), Phoebe Snedden (Paralegal, Real Estate), Sebastian Jones (Partner, Commercial), Freya Vale (Solicitor, Commercial), Nitzan Cohen (Consultant, Tax), and Mathew Boyle (Consultant, Pensions)

Jason Varney, Partner at Thomson Snell & Passmore, concluded: “Nurture’s growth has been incredible to witness and it has been a pleasure to support the organisation as it has gone from strength to strength. Over the years, we have built up an incredibly in-depth understanding of its unique needs and ambitions and we look forward to helping Nurture as it continues to strengthen its position as a leader in the UK’s horticultural, grounds maintenance and green workplace services sector.”