Hair and beauty salon valuationa complete UK guide for owners

If you are thinking about selling your salon, or simply want to know what it is worth, the most useful thing to understand is how a buyer will arrive at a price. Buyers start from the profit the salon makes for its owner, apply a multiple that reflects how safe that profit looks, and then check the lease, the team and the equipment. This guide explains each step with real figures from the UK market.

What UK salons are on the market for

Across the salon businesses we recorded for sale between 8 September and 22 October 2026, the median asking price was £60,000, on turnover of £110,000. Combined hair and beauty salons had a median asking price of £60,000 on turnover of £120,000.

These are asking prices. Agreed prices are usually somewhat lower once a buyer has seen the accounts. The full figures, including prices by area and by size, are in our Salon Price Index.

For context, the National Hair & Beauty Federation counts over 63,800 hair and beauty businesses in the UK, nearly two thirds of which turn over less than £99,000 a year, so most salons that come to market are small, owner-run businesses.

How salons are valued

On profit, for almost every salon

Owner-run salons are valued on the profit left for a working owner: net profit with the owner’s own salary, dividends and personal costs added back. Buyers then apply a multiple, which for most owner-run hair and beauty salons sits between about 1.2 and 2.1 times. Across the salons in our index that state a profit, the median asking price is 1.9 times it.

You may see higher multiples quoted, such as three or four times profit. Those apply to profit after paying a manager to run the salon, which is a smaller number. We explain the difference here, because mixing the two up is the most common reason salons are over-priced.

On turnover, as a rough check

Salons in our index are advertised at a median of 51% of turnover. Smaller salons tend to be priced at a higher share of turnover, because the fit-out and the lease are a bigger part of what a buyer gets. Turnover is a sense check, never the basis, because rent and wages vary so much from salon to salon.

On assets, when profit is low

A salon that makes little profit for its owner is usually priced on what a buyer gets physically: the fit-out, the equipment, the lease and the clients in the book. It is still worth selling rather than closing, because closing can leave you with rent and repair costs.

What moves the price

• The lease. Buyers and their lenders want enough years left to earn back what they pay. A short lease is the most common reason salons sell below the owner’s hopes.
• The team. An employed team who carry most of the bookings is worth more than a salon that depends on the owner or on renters who could leave.
• Clean accounts. Buyers can only pay for profit they can see. Undeclared takings are worth nothing in a sale.
• Repeat clients. A booking system showing clients coming back every few weeks is the best evidence of a business that will keep earning.
• Equipment and finance. Kit still on finance is usually settled from the proceeds, so know what is owed.

Common mistakes

• Applying a manager-run multiple to an owner’s profit.
• Pricing from turnover alone.
• Going to market without checking the lease and the landlord’s position.
• Letting the team find out before a buyer is committed.

Getting a figure for your salon

Our valuation calculator gives an instant range from eight questions. For a figure you can rely on, we will value your salon from your accounts and lease, free and in confidence, with no obligation to sell.