Nurture group boosts arboriculture service offering with Gristwood & Toms acquisition

Accredited Contractor Nurture Group, the UK’s fastest growing national horticultural and green workplace service provider, has completed its most substantial deal of 2024 with the acquisition of Hertfordshire-based Gristwood and Toms.

This strategic move marks the Group's expansion into the arboriculture market, complementing its comprehensive portfolio of services, which includes grounds maintenance, landscape construction, winter gritting, interior & exterior plant displays, pest control and green solutions.

Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Shenley, near St Albans in Hertfordshire, Gristwood & Toms are highly regarded throughout the arboriculture sector. Known most particularly for their work in the public sector, Gristwood & Toms have built a stellar reputation for their excellence and technical expertise alongside an unmatched quality of service. With an annual turnover exceeding £20 million and employing a workforce of 153 across 13 depots, it remains a longstanding member of The Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor Scheme.

Operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nurture Landscapes Holdings, Gristwood & Toms will retain its existing brand whilst leveraging Nurture’s national expertise and resources to increase share of the UK arboriculture market.

Appointed as the new Managing Director to lead Gristwood & Toms into its new era is Andrew Brightman, who brings extensive experience from prior roles as Group Head of Major Bids for the Nurture Group and previous directorial roles at CGM Group, Flora-Tec, Continental Landscapes and ISS Landscaping.

Gristwood & Toms is Nurture’s 47th acquisition, underscoring its continued growth and commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality services across the country.

Nurture’s Executive Chairman, Peter Fane commented:

"Gristwood & Toms is an excellent fit for our organisation. The acquisition provides Nurture with a profitable and scalable platform, building on our existing presence in the arboriculture market and integrate our existing arboriculture work into the Gristwood & Toms brand, creating a new £28 million turnover vertical for the Nurture Group.

Both companies share a dedication to health and safety, environmental stewardship, and recruiting top talent. This acquisition allows us to enhance our service offering to clients, who now have access to industry-leading arboriculture services alongside our existing portfolio."

Founders of Gristwood & Toms, Dave Gristwood and Andy Toms, added:

"We are thrilled to join the Nurture Group and look forward to this exciting new chapter. Nurture's growth and ambition resonate with our own, and we are eager to collaborate and expand our capabilities. Our clients will benefit from the combined expertise and commitment to quality that both companies bring."

Gristwood & Toms' industry-leading arboriculture training school and apprenticeship programme will now become a centre of excellence under Nurture's flagship learning and development programme, The Nurture Academy.

In barely 16 years, the Nurture Group has grown through a combination of organic growth and carefully targeted acquisitions and now turns over nearly £200 million. With a workforce of over 2,600 employees, Nurture has a national footprint throughout the UK.