Frequently asked questionsabout selling and buying a salon

We value it, agree an asking price with you, list it anonymously and send it to our registered buyers. Anyone interested signs our confidentiality terms before they see the details, we handle every enquiry and viewing, and we negotiate the offer and stay involved with both solicitors until the sale completes.

Buyers pay for profit they can keep, so the starting point is what the salon earns once your own role is allowed for, which is then adjusted for the rent, the lease, the team and how much of the business depends on you. You can get a quick estimate from our salon valuation calculator, and we will give you a full valuation free of charge.

Yes. We look at your figures, lease and staffing, tell you what we think the salon would sell for and why, and there is no obligation to go any further.

Hair salons, barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons, spas, massage and wellness clinics, brow and lash studios and smaller aesthetics clinics. We also sell franchise salons, working with the franchisor where the franchise agreement requires it.

Yes. We sell salons across England, Scotland and Wales, and valuations, buyer enquiries and paperwork are all handled online and by phone, so where the salon is makes no difference to the service.

When the salon is trading well and the accounts show it, because buyers pay for the last two or three years of profit and a team that is likely to stay. If takings have dipped, it is usually worth a conversation about whether to sell now or wait a year, and we will give you our view either way.

A realistically priced salon usually attracts serious interest within the first few months of being listed, and the solicitors then typically need several weeks to complete. The price, the lease, the figures and how many buyers are looking in your area all affect how long it takes.

No broker can honestly guarantee a sale. What we can do is price the salon where buyers will take it seriously, put it in front of the right people and manage every enquiry properly, which is what gets most salons sold.

Mainly on maintainable profit, meaning what the salon earns year after year once the owner's own work is accounted for. The rent, the length and terms of the lease, whether the stylists are employed or self-employed, client retention and how far the takings depend on the owner then move the figure up or down.

On profit first, then on what sits behind it: the treatment mix, the premises and equipment, whether the therapists are employed or rent rooms, how many clients come back regularly and the lease. A beauty salon that runs without the owner on the tills every day is worth noticeably more to most buyers.

Profit. Turnover tells a buyer how busy the salon is, but a salon taking £250,000 a year with a strong margin can be worth more than one taking £500,000 that barely breaks even.

A little. Good, well-maintained chairs, basins and treatment equipment make a salon easier to sell, but buyers value equipment at what it would fetch second-hand, which is usually far below what you paid for it.

It helps, as long as the rent is fair. Most buyers, and most lenders, want several years left on the lease, while a high rent or restrictive terms can put buyers off however long the lease runs.

Yes. Many owners ask for a valuation a year or two before selling, so they know what the salon is worth today and what would raise the price before it goes on the market.

Yes. Listings never name the salon or give the street, every buyer signs our confidentiality terms before receiving any details, and viewings are arranged with you in advance. No sale can be kept completely under wraps, because a viewing or word of mouth can give it away, so we talk through with you when and how to tell people.

Not from us. We never contact your staff, and viewings are arranged around your diary. When and how to tell your team is your decision, and we can talk it through with you as the sale progresses.

The listing describes the type of salon and the area without naming it, so a client browsing a business-for-sale website should not be able to identify it. The name and address are only shared with a buyer who has signed our confidentiality terms.

Yes. Every buyer accepts our confidentiality terms before they receive the salon's name, address, figures or photographs, and we keep a dated record of every acceptance.

No. The listing gives the type of business, the town or area and the headline figures, and the name and address go only to buyers who have signed our confidentiality terms.

Because buyers ask salon-specific questions: whether the stylists are employed, self-employed or renting chairs, how retail and treatment income split, what the client retention looks like and what the lease allows. A broker who knows the trade answers those properly, which keeps buyers interested and the price where it should be.

We only sell hair, beauty and wellness businesses, so our buyers are people looking for salons and our listings are written for them. A general broker lists your salon alongside cafés, garages and shops.

We value the salon, prepare the listing and a full information pack for buyers, advertise it on our website and the main business-for-sale websites, send it to our registered buyers, handle and check every enquiry, arrange viewings, negotiate the offer with you and stay involved with the solicitors until completion.

Yes. Every salon we sell has an anonymous listing and a fuller information pack that goes to buyers once they have signed our confidentiality terms.

On the Anglo Swann website, the main business-for-sale websites, our social media pages and by email to our registered salon buyers. The exact mix depends on the salon, and we agree it with you before anything goes live.

Yes. Buyers register with us for the type of salon, area and budget they want, and new listings go to the ones they match. You can register as a buyer here.

Yes, all of them. We answer every enquiry, check who the buyer is and whether they can fund the purchase, and only pass on people who are serious, so you are not taking calls in the middle of a busy day.

Yes. Every offer comes to you in writing, we give you our view of it, and we negotiate the price and terms on your behalf.

Yes. We stay in touch with both sides and their solicitors until completion, chasing the landlord, the lease and anything else that holds things up. The legal work itself is done by your solicitor and the buyer's.

A one-off upfront fee of £495, then 4% of the agreed sale price when the sale completes. There is no minimum fee and no monthly charges. See our fees.

It is the fee paid to the broker when the sale completes, calculated as a percentage of the sale price. Ours is 4%, and it is only paid if the salon sells.

On completion, usually paid by your solicitor from the sale money on the day the sale goes through.

While we are instructed we manage the sale for you, so the fee applies whoever the buyer turns out to be. If you already know people who are interested, tell us before you sign and we will list them in the agreement as excluded.

No. We act as your only broker while we are instructed, which keeps one listing, one set of figures and one point of contact in front of buyers.

Yes, at any time, by telling us in writing. The agreement sets out what happens if the salon later sells to a buyer we introduced.

Your last two or three years of accounts, current takings, the lease, the rent, a list of staff and how they are paid, opening hours, your price list and the main equipment. We send you a short checklist when you instruct us.

Yes. Serious buyers, and any lender behind them, will want to see accounts before they make an offer, and a salon without them is much harder to sell at a good price.

We can show buyers your current takings and recent management figures alongside the accounts, provided you can back them up with till reports or bank statements, because a buyer will check.

Usually yes, before completion, because most leases need the landlord's consent to transfer to a new owner. When to approach them depends on the lease, and we agree the timing with you and your solicitor.

Small things are usually worth doing: fixing anything broken, a tidy-up of the salon floor and getting your paperwork in order. A refit just before selling rarely pays for itself in the price.

Only if the market supports it. Buyers look at the last two or three years of profit, so a price rise a few months before you sell does little for the valuation and can cost you clients.

We speak to every buyer before they see the details, ask what they are looking for, whether they have run a salon before and how they would fund the purchase, and ask for proof of funds before a viewing.

No. The name, address and full figures only go to buyers who have signed our confidentiality terms and who we think are genuine.

We agree the time with you first, often outside opening hours or at a quiet point in the day, and we brief the buyer on how to behave in the salon.

That is your decision. Many owners hold first viewings after hours or describe the visitor as a supplier or adviser, and we can talk through what suits your team.

It comes to you in writing with our view of it. You decide whether to accept, reject or negotiate, and we handle the negotiation on your behalf.

No. You decide which offer, if any, to accept.

Both sides appoint solicitors, the buyer checks the figures and the lease, the landlord's consent is obtained, and the sale completes once the paperwork is signed and the money is transferred. We stay involved throughout.

It is the buyer checking that the salon is what was described: the accounts, the lease, the staff contracts, any equipment on finance and the licences. Having these ready before you go to market makes it quicker.

Yes. You and the buyer each need your own solicitor, ideally one who handles business sales, to deal with the contract and the lease.

Employed staff normally transfer to the new owner on their existing terms under the rules known as TUPE. Self-employed stylists and chair renters have their own arrangements, which buyers will want to see, so take advice from your solicitor on both.

You and the buyer agree how they are handled, usually by adjusting the price for the value of vouchers, deposits and prepaid courses the buyer will honour.

Stock is normally valued separately, at or just before completion, and added to the price at cost.

Yes, if the buyer agrees. Many buyers welcome a handover period, and some want the previous owner to stay on as a stylist, which needs agreeing before completion.

Yes. Most salons are leasehold, and the sale involves either assigning your lease to the buyer or the landlord granting them a new one.

A short lease makes buyers and lenders nervous, so it is usually worth speaking to your landlord about a renewal before the salon goes on the market. We can talk through the timing with you.

Yes. Where you own the building, we can sell the business and the freehold together or separately, and the fee on the property is agreed with you in advance.

Yes. We market the salon confidentially, check buyers in the same way, and work alongside the franchisor so the buyer meets their requirements.

In most franchise networks, yes. The franchise agreement will set out what the franchisor needs from a new franchisee, and we take that into account before introducing anyone.

Yes. We handle resales for franchise networks, managing the enquiries, confidentiality and buyer checks so the franchise team can stay focused on the network.

Yes. See our salons for sale, and register as a buyer to hear about new salons before they are widely advertised.

Not always. Some franchises require it, and a salon you will not work in yourself needs a strong manager, so think about who will run it day to day before you buy.

Yes, if it already runs without the owner. Look for an established manager and a team that is not dependent on the person selling.

Often, yes. Lenders look at your deposit, your experience and the salon's figures, and our finance partner, Funding Bay, can talk you through what might be available.

We do everything we can to keep your sale quiet. Listings never name the business or give the street, every buyer agrees to our confidentiality terms first, and viewings are arranged with you. That said, no sale can be kept completely under wraps, because a viewing, a photo or word of mouth can give it away, so we will talk through with you when and how to tell people.

Yes. Buyers will want to see the agreements and how long each stylist has been with you, because the income depends on them staying.

Hair salons, barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons, spas and massage clinics, and brow and lash studios, anywhere in the UK. Hair and beauty is the only sector we work in.

Have a look at the salons for sale and register as a buyer, so we can send you new businesses that match what you want as they come in.

No. The valuation is free and you are under no obligation to sell.

A one-off upfront fee of £495, then 4% of the agreed sale price when the sale completes. There is no minimum fee and no monthly charges, and you can cancel at any time. See our fees.

Usually yes, before completion, because most leases need the landlord's consent to transfer to a new owner. When to approach them is something we agree with you.

Yes, with the franchisor's agreement where the franchise terms require it.

Not necessarily, though buyers often ask for a short handover so clients get to know the new owner. A few weeks is common. We agree it with you before the salon goes to market so there are no surprises later.

They are still owed to the client after the sale, so the new owner takes them on and the price is usually adjusted to reflect them. We work the figure out with you before the salon goes to market.

Some do and some have to be applied for again, depending on the treatment and the council. We flag it early so the buyer can apply in good time and the handover is not held up.