ABC Aquires La Petite

12/15/2006

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ABC Learning Centres Limited from Australia announced yesterday its acquisition of Chicago-based La Petite Academy for approximately $US 330 million. La Petite is the second largest for profit provider in the United States operating 650 centers in 36 states.

With this purchase ABC firmly establishes itself as a major player in the US market. ABC entered this market previously by acquiring the Learning Care Group in January 2006 and Children's Courtyard in August 2006. With this latest acquisition, ABC now operates over 1,100 centers in the US. Bill Davis, CEO of Learning Care Group, will oversee US operations for ABC. All acquired centers will continue to operate under their existing brand names.

In addition, ABC also announced the acquisition of the Busy Bees Group, operator of 47 child care centers in the United Kingdom, as well as the aquisition of MacQuarie Leisure Services, operators of 49 centers in New Zealand and 6 in Australia. These acquisitions introduce ABC into the UK market and solidify its position in Australia and New Zealand. ABC now operates 77 centers in New Zealand and 1,158 in Australia.

To learn more about ABC Learning Centres, you can go to their web site, www.childcare.com.au. For information about the Learning Care Group, go to www.learningcaregroup.com.

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