CGEN Care Group Ltd has acquired Stow Healthcare Group, an award winning East Anglian-based care home provider for an undisclosed sum. The well-regarded brand will be retained.
Stow Healthcare, which started as a single care home in 2010, has evolved to operate eight care homes in the region, four of which are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.
The group was owned and operated by sibling team Roger Catchpole and Ruth French who developed a strong reputation for turning around care homes with poor ratings to deliver full compliance.
The group will be led by Kay Cox, who for the past six years has been a board member of the leading luxury care provider, Signature Senior Lifestyle, joining as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and serving as Chief Executive Officer until early this year.
Knight Frank and Charles Russell Speechleys supported the sale of the group.
Roger Catchpole and Ruth French said: “We are delighted to be able to pass Stow Healthcare into the safe ownership of CGEN Care Group Ltd . Over the past 15 years, we have developed a company that has always put people at its heart. We are proud of everything we have achieved and of the care that our teams lovingly provide. We know that with the support of the new owners and under Kay’s leadership, the Stow Healthcare brand will continue to flourish.”
CGEN Care Group Ltd commented: being founded by experienced care home operators, we are delighted to have been able to work closely with the outgoing owners to ensure we are able to take Stow Healthcare forward. We value everything that has been achieved by Stow Healthcare and look forward to working with our teams to ensure Stow Healthcare’s homes continue to offer the very best.”
Kay Cox, incoming chief executive of Stow Healthcare said: “I am delighted to take on the role of Chief Executive at Stow Healthcare. Stow is a company I have admired for some time, and I am looking forward to working with the excellent teams across our homes to deliver the quality care to our residents that the company is so well known for across the region.”
Joe Munro at Knight Frank, commented: “We are pleased to have advised Stow Healthcare on the sale of their award-winning care home portfolio to CGEN Care Group Ltd. The transaction is a credit to the outstanding reputation Roger Catchpole and Ruth French and all staff associated with Stow Healthcare have built since their inception around 15 years ago. We look forward to seeing how the business will continue to evolve under CGEN Care’s ownership, retaining the valuable Stow Healthcare name.”
ENDS
About Stow Healthcare:
Stow Healthcare is a multi-award-winning, care provider, which was established in 2010. Today, the business delivers quality care to over 400 residents across eight residential and nursing homes in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex, four of which are rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
About CGEN Care Group Ltd:
CGEN Care Group is a new UK venture by experienced directors Nathan Schreiber, Eli Goldman and Mayer Chersky, who are already experienced in children’s care homes in the UK under the brand of Resicare Alliance. With experience including operations of a family owned elderly care company overseas, the team root their work in personal responsibility and long-term relationships—not corporate structures. This is not a fund or a REIT-backed venture. Since 1999, the group has remained family-owned and family-operated, allowing every decision to be made with integrity, agility, and genuine care.
About Kay Cox:
With more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles, Kay boasts a proven track record across the retail, travel, and healthcare sectors. A trusted and results-driven executive, Kay has developed a reputation for change management, exceptional multi-site leadership, innovation, and strategic insight throughout her dynamic career.
For the past five years, Kay has been a board member of the leading luxury care provider, Signature Senior Lifestyle, joining as Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and serving as Chief Executive Officer since August 2023. Her time at Signature has been characterised by an unwavering focus on providing the highest standards of care, advocating for the care workforce, and developing innovative solutions to sector wide challenges.
Before joining Signature, Kay was Managing Director for Southern & East England at Bupa UK, (2013 to 2018), where she was responsible for 52 care homes, more than 2,600 residents and a 5,000-strong workforce.
Image depicts Roger Catchpole (left) and Ruth French (right)