Salons, clinics and gyms for sale

In health and beauty, clients are loyal to people rather than premises. So the first question is not what the fit-out is worth, but who the clients come for. Will the stylists, therapists or instructors stay when the owner leaves? How much of the revenue does the owner generate personally? A salon where the owner looks after half the clients loses much of its value if they stop on the day you take over.

Then look at the booking system: how many hours are booked, how many clients return within a couple of months, and how often do people cancel or fail to show up? A full book of regular clients is worth more than high revenue that depends on promotions and a constant stream of new faces.

Salons, clinics and smaller gyms are usually priced on profit. Sitavo’s indicative range is 1.5–3.5 times annual profit (SDE: profit plus the owner’s own salary and one-off items), cross-checked against 0.3–1 times annual revenue. A large active client base and practitioners who stay after the sale push the price up. Heavy owner dependence, a short lease and worn equipment pull it down. These are general market ranges, not a valuation of a specific business. Use the price estimate and the market data for the category.

• Revenue per practitioner or chair, and the split between treatments and retail.
• Return rate and number of active clients over the last 12 months.
• Utilisation in the booking system, ideally week by week.
• Wage costs and chair rental income relative to revenue.
• Rent and the remaining term of the lease.

• Reports from the booking and till systems that match the bookkeeping.
• Employment contracts and chair rental agreements: who is employed, and who is self-employed with their own clients?
• The lease: term, notice, rent and whether the landlord must approve a new tenant.
• The client database: how was the data collected, and can it be transferred under GDPR? Health data needs particular care.
• Qualifications and any authorisations held by the people delivering treatments, and what happens if they leave.
• Leasing and service agreements on equipment, and what is owned outright.

Sellers can place sensitive documents in a data room behind an NDA, so you can review them before making an offer. See also the pre-purchase checklist.

When you buy a Danish business, employees transfer on their existing terms under the Danish transfer of undertakings rules, and you take on their seniority and obligations. Self-employed chair renters are not employees and can take their clients with them, so speak to them before you bid. Authorisation as a healthcare professional is personal and never transfers with the business — buyers from abroad should check early whether their own qualifications are recognised in Denmark. Booking system, phone number, website and social media accounts must be handed over with full access. Agree a transition period in which the seller introduces you to regular clients and staff.

Smaller salons and clinics are often bought with own funds or a bank loan. Vendor financing or an earn-out, where part of the price depends on clients staying, shares the risk of the change of owner. Messaging sellers and making offers on Sitavo is free, and you agree price and terms in the deal workflow. The purchase price is paid directly to the seller — Sitavo never holds the money. Set up a search alert if the right salon or clinic is not listed yet.