Highlands-based children’s nursery Country Bumpkins entered liquidation on 15 June.
Located in Ardersier, near Inverness, the single site nursery was established in 2012 and employed a team of 30 staff.
Along with many in the sector, Country Bumpkins experienced difficulties in finding suitably trained staff, as many had migrated to council settings offering improved pay and benefits.
Added to this was the post-Brexit reduction in the local labour market, which which led to reliance on agency staff and increased costs.
In recent years, the nursery’s revenues had remained steady, despite both the pandemic and increased levels of home working, however, the staffing difficulties and increased costs meant that the company ceased to be economically viable.
The business closed immediately prior to winding up and all roles at the nursery have now been made redundant.
Scott Milne, managing director at Quantuma and one of the joint provisional liquidators, said: “It is deeply regrettable that Country Bumpkins has been forced to cease trading, due to a series of challenging circumstances.
“A combination of extremely difficult trading conditions, including a reduced labour market and increasing costs, has seen the business unable to continue.
“Our immediate priorities have been to provide appropriate support to those whose jobs have been affected.
“We would like to thank Highland Council and local private providers for helping to try and accommodate children into other local nursery facilities.”
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