How to sell your salon businessa plain guide for UK owners

Work out what the salon is worth

Salons are usually valued on the profit they make for one owner, after adding back your own pay and any one-off costs, multiplied by a figure that reflects how safe that profit looks to a buyer. A long lease, a settled team and clients who book with the salon rather than with you push the figure up. A short lease, a high rent or a business that relies on you being on the floor every day bring it down.

Get the paperwork together

Buyers will ask for two or three years of accounts, recent takings from your till or booking system, the lease, staff contracts or chair rental agreements, and a list of equipment. Having these ready before you go to market means interest can turn into an offer without weeks of waiting.

Decide how and when to tell people

Most owners keep the sale private until a buyer is agreed. The listing should never name the salon, and every buyer should agree to confidentiality terms before receiving details. When to tell your team is your decision, and it usually comes once the sale is close.

Market it to the right buyers

The best buyers for a salon are usually people already in the trade: stylists and therapists ready to own a business, and owners wanting another site. A broker with registered buyers and accounts on the main business-for-sale websites reaches far more of them than a sign in the window.

Agree the deal and complete

Once an offer is accepted, solicitors on both sides handle the contract, the lease and the transfer of staff. The landlord usually has to approve the new tenant, and that is often what takes longest, so it helps to speak to them early.

If you would like to talk any of this through for your own salon, get in touch. There is no charge for a first conversation.