Kangaroo Pouch Day Nurseries Expand into China

Kangaroo Pouch Day Nursery, the largest nursery chain in the West Midlands, has secured a contract in China with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

The business, with nurseries in Tividale, Great Bridge, Charlemont, Willenhall and Walsall, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jiangsu Junyi Education Group, announcing a partnership to open British-style nurseries in Nanjing, China.
The win comes after the company attended the government’s Early Years Education Trade Mission to China last year. Part of the Exporting is GREAT campaign, the mission provided vital networking opportunities with potential partners, resulting in the MoU announced today.

Anita Patel Sahota, the CEO and Founder of Kangaroo Pouch, commented:

We are aiming to open 15 centres in Jiangsu Province over the next 3 years. These settings will be delivering an integrated curriculum based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Kangaroo Pouch UK will provide extensive support on teacher training and quality control. The first nursery will open by the end of this year and the second site is also secured. This is the first partnership for Kangaroo Pouch in China. We also have plans to explore further collaboration in other areas of China.

Corin Crane, Chief Executive at Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said:

China is an incredibly important market for the Midlands, but sometimes the size of China can put smaller businesses off looking there for new trade partners. This type of collaboration highlights that with the right product, an ambitious management team and the right support relationships between China and the UK can turn into a real game changer.

Gerald La Touche, International Trade Adviser to Kangaroo Pouch, was instrumental in aiding with the development of their trade approach and action plan, which led to them participating in the Department for International Trade GREAT Early Years Mission to China and Hong Kong in September 2017. This was part of the China and Hong Kong Education is GREAT British Early Years Campaign, last year, where this journey began. As a Chamber, we are delighted to offer a range of support to businesses throughout the region to help them trade internationally.

Ian Harrison, Head of Exports in the Midlands for the Department for International Trade, said:

Kangaroo Pouch is a shining example of an ambitious local business taking advantage of the support available to secure new contracts in international markets.

The firm identified the need for its service when visiting the area last year, and will now play a role in the education of many young children across Jiangsu Province. What Kangaroo Pouch has achieved is brilliant, however – the same help and support from trade advisers on the ground in the Black Country is also available to your business.

To discover the support available to help your business trade internationally please visit www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk/internationaltrade. For more information on Kangaroo Pouch please visit www.kangaroopouch.org.uk.

Photo: Kangaroo Pouch signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jiangsu Junyi Education Group at a ceremony in the West Midlands