AUGUST 2026 MARKET DATA

Retail business valuation multiples

See what reported US sales of retail imply about cash-flow multiples, revenue multiples, and typical sale prices.

Median reported sale price

$286,000Reported sales from Q3 2021–Q2 2026

Cash flow multiple

2.63×Price ÷ seller’s discretionary earnings

Revenue multiple

0.55×Price ÷ annual gross revenue

Sector rank

#9By cash-flow multiple among 16 sectors

Versus all businesses

+2%Cash-flow multiple versus 2.58× overall

ORIGINAL INDEX SIGNAL

Private transaction evidence for retail, from Main Street to $1B+.

Independently indexed as of August 14, 2026. These non-identifying records add a second market lens beyond the public sale averages above. Counts reveal evidence depth—not a universal multiple. Percentiles and individual rows stay protected. Explore the full evidence map.

Under $1M24indexed records

$1M–$10M—not published

$10M–$50M—not published

$50M–$250M—not published

$250M–$1B—not published

$1B+25indexed records

Qualified under-$1M observations15+Smallest recent sample across revenue and EBITDA multiples

Public size coverage2 / 6Retail · a blank may be zero or privacy-withheld

Contributor view25th · median · 75thShare an operating profile to see the protected range

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WORKED MARKET REFERENCE

How the two common methods compare

For an example retail business with $1,000,000 in annual revenue and $250,000 in SDE:

SDE method$657,500$250,000 × 2.63

Revenue method$550,000$1,000,000 × 0.55

The indications can differ because margins vary. A personalized market reference should use the company’s actual revenue and normalized SDE, then consider transferability and deal terms separately.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

Reading this retail business benchmark

What is the average retail business cash-flow multiple?

Reported sales in this category average 2.63× seller’s discretionary earnings and 0.55× annual revenue. The reported median sale price is $286,000.

How should I use the 2.63× multiple?

Apply it first to normalized SDE, not tax-return profit without review. Then cross-check the revenue method and examine the business-specific risks a buyer would inherit.

Does this tell me exactly what my retail business is worth?

No. It is a reported-sale average, not an appraisal or offer. Company size, margins, growth, transferability, assets, liabilities, geography, and deal terms can produce a different outcome.

Source and scope

Public aggregates reported by BizBuySell for closed US sales of retail. The headline multiples cover Q3 2021–Q2 2026. The separate businessvaluation.fyi index adds privacy-protected transaction counts for the broader retail sector as of 2026-08-14; it does not expose individual deals or valuation multiples. These are useful relative indicators, not a formal appraisal, offer, or complete census.

Headline source Original index map