How Much Is My Retail Store Worth?

Free retail business valuation

1. Earnings

Use your most recent full year — your tax return or P&L. Estimates are fine; you can change any answer later.

Annual revenue

Total sales before expenses. Example: 850000

Reported profit

Net profit before income tax, as shown on your P&L or tax return. Enter a negative number for a loss. Example: 95000

Owner pay

Salary, draws, payroll taxes and benefits paid to one working owner. Example: $70,000 salary + $8,000 health insurance = 78000

Interest, depreciation & amortization (optional)

Non-cash and financing costs on your P&L. Example: 12000 of depreciation on a work truck

One-time or personal expenses (optional)

Costs a new owner wouldn't have. Example: a 6000 legal settlement, or a family member's phone paid by the business

Seller's discretionary earnings (SDE): —

Profit + owner pay + add-backs. SDE is what one full-time owner-operator takes home, and it's the standard earnings figure buyers use for businesses selling under about $2M.

2. About your business

Industry

State

Years in business

Revenue change vs. prior year (%) (optional)

Employees, not counting you

Your role day to day

I run daily operationsStaff handle most of it; I overseeIt runs without me

3. What transfers to a buyer

Check everything that applies.

Recurring revenueCustomers pay on a regular schedule, such as memberships, subscriptions or service plansCustomer contracts of 6 months or moreSigned agreements that would transfer to a new ownerOne customer is more than 25% of revenueBuyers look closely at how dependent revenue is on a single customerThe business owns its building or landProperty is valued separately and isn't included in the estimate

How Retail businesses are valued

Retail businesses are usually priced as a multiple of seller's discretionary earnings (SDE), with inventory often valued separately at cost. The quality of the lease, uniqueness of product mix, and online presence all affect the multiple significantly. Stores with declining foot traffic or high competition trade at the low end.

Across all industries, small businesses selling for under $2M averaged 2.0×–3.1× SDE (IBBA & M&A Source Market Pulse, Q4 2025). The calculator above starts from these averages; businesses in your industry may trade above or below them.

What buyers look for

→Favorable lease with transferability clause
→Loyal, repeat customer base (not purely walk-in)
→Unique or proprietary product mix that is hard to replicate
→Clean POS data showing consistent sales history

What increases your valuation

✓Online sales channel in addition to physical store adds significant value
✓Branded products or exclusive distribution agreements
✓Long lease at below-market rent
✓Low competition within the trade area