What UK businesses sell for, by sector
Each line comes from UK businesses in our database that were bought. Most were takeovers of listed companies, and the figures come from offer documents and company announcements. Each sector shows the median deal and the middle half of its deals.
Deals updated October 2026
Sectors with enough deals to show
- Financial and insurance services12.0 times EBITDA, middle half 8.0 to 13.0, 10+ deals
- Technology, software, media and telecommunications11.5 times EBITDA, middle half 7.0 to 14.5, 30+ deals
- Health care and social assistance10.5 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
- Construction9.0 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
- Administrative and support services8.5 times EBITDA, middle half 7.0 to 10.5, 10+ deals
- Manufacturing8.0 times EBITDA, middle half 6.5 to 10.5, 50+ deals
- Mining7.5 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
- Professional, scientific and technical services7.5 times EBITDA, middle half 6.0 to 10.0, 20+ deals
Source: UK deals in our database with a published value and an EBITDA multiple, mostly from offer documents and company announcements. Medians by onestepright.
What UK businesses sold for, as multiples of EBITDA. Each row is a sector with enough deals to show.
| Sector | Median (times EBITDA) | Middle half | Deals | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 8.0 | 6.5 to 12.0 | 200+ | 2002 to 2026 |
| Manufacturing | 8.0 | 6.5 to 10.5 | 50+ | 2010 to 2026 |
| Building materials | 6.5 | 6.0 to 8.0 | 10+ | 2013 to 2026 |
| Food and beverage manufacturing | 10.5 | 7.5 to 23.0 | 10+ | 2015 to 2025 |
| Industrial and engineered products | 8.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2010 to 2025 |
| Other | 8.0 | 7.0 to 10.0 | 10+ | 2011 to 2025 |
| Technology, software, media and telecommunications | 11.5 | 7.0 to 14.5 | 30+ | 2007 to 2026 |
| IT services | 10.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2015 to 2024 |
| Publishing and print media | 5.0 | Median only | 5+ | 2008 to 2024 |
| Software | 13.5 | 11.0 to 15.5 | 10+ | 2018 to 2026 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 7.5 | 6.0 to 10.0 | 20+ | 2014 to 2026 |
| Legal services | 6.0 | Median only | 5+ | 2019 to 2022 |
| Other | 8.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2014 to 2026 |
| Pubs, taverns and bars | 9.5 | 8.5 to 11.0 | 10+ | 2005 to 2026 |
| Administrative and support services | 8.5 | 7.0 to 10.5 | 10+ | 2009 to 2025 |
| Financial and insurance services | 12.0 | 8.0 to 13.0 | 10+ | 2017 to 2025 |
| Payments | 11.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2019 to 2022 |
| Wholesale distributors | 7.0 | 6.5 to 9.0 | 10+ | 2017 to 2024 |
| Gaming and wagering | 6.0 | Median only | 5+ | 2015 to 2026 |
| Construction | 9.0 | Median only | 5+ | 2017 to 2025 |
| Health care and social assistance | 10.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2013 to 2026 |
| Other | 10.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2013 to 2026 |
| Mining | 7.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2012 to 2025 |
| Oilfield services | 7.5 | Median only | 5+ | 2012 to 2025 |
| Retail trade, other | 7.0 | Median only | 5+ | 2016 to 2022 |
Rows cover deals of £5.3 million to £263 million unless the Years column names another size.
Only deals with a published value count in a size band.
Median only means fewer than ten deals, so no middle half is shown.
Most of these deals were takeovers of listed companies under the Takeover Code. Treat them as a rough guide to what buyers paid for larger businesses.
Sizes are converted from our size range of A$10 million to A$500 million, at the fixed rate our database uses to place overseas deals: £1 = A$1.90. The rate stays fixed, so the range always describes the same deals.
Download these multiples as a CSV file, with every figure in the table above and the median at each deal size.
What size does to the price
Larger businesses sell at higher multiples of EBITDA. This chart shows the median multiple at each deal size, for United Kingdom deals in our database.
- Under £5.3m4.5 times EBITDA, middle half 3.5 to 5.5, 30+ deals
- £5.3m to £26.3m6.5 times EBITDA, middle half 5.5 to 7.5, 50+ deals
- £26.3m to £132m8.5 times EBITDA, middle half 7.0 to 12.0, 100+ deals
- £132m to £526m11.0 times EBITDA, middle half 8.5 to 13.5, 100+ deals
- Over £526m12.0 times EBITDA, middle half 9.5 to 15.0, 100+ deals
Source: deals in our database with a published value and an EBITDA multiple, from company filings, experts' reports and press reports. Medians by onestepright.
| Deal size (A$) | Median (times EBITDA) |
|---|---|
| Under £5.3m | 4.5 times EBITDA, middle half 3.5 to 5.5, 30+ deals |
| £5.3m to £26.3m | 6.5 times EBITDA, middle half 5.5 to 7.5, 50+ deals |
| £26.3m to £132m | 8.5 times EBITDA, middle half 7.0 to 12.0, 100+ deals |
| £132m to £526m | 11.0 times EBITDA, middle half 8.5 to 13.5, 100+ deals |
| Over £526m | 12.0 times EBITDA, middle half 9.5 to 15.0, 100+ deals |
The bands are our Australian bands, converted at the fixed rate our database uses to place overseas deals: £1 = A$1.90. The rate stays fixed, so each band always describes the same deals.
What multiple will my business sell for?
UK businesses bought between 2002 and 2026 sold for a median of 8.0 times EBITDA, across 200+ deals. Most were listed companies. A buyer sets each business's own multiple.
What is an EBITDA multiple by industry?
It is enterprise value divided by EBITDA, for the businesses bought in one industry. The table gives the median and the middle half for each sector with enough deals.
What is EV/EBITDA?
EV/EBITDA is enterprise value, what a buyer pays for the whole business including its debt, divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
How to read the range
The median is the middle deal. Half the deals sold for more and half for less. Where a line gives a middle half, a quarter of the deals sold below it and a quarter sold above it.
The band says how many deals stand behind the line. A band of 5+ means at least five. Under ten deals, a line shows the median only. Fewer deals leave more room for error, so read a 5+ line with more care than a 50+ one.
The years are when the deals were announced. Multiples rise and fall with interest rates and share prices, so a long span mixes strong years with weak ones.
A buyer applies the multiple to the EBITDA it accepts after due diligence. Two businesses with the same EBITDA can sell at different multiples, for the reasons below.
How listed companies compare
Listed companies trade every day, and most are larger than the businesses in these deals. Their multiples usually sit above what a private business sells for. Read them as context for the deal figures.
Listed companies in Europe traded at 10.8 times their combined EBITDA in January 2026. Source: Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern, data as of January 2026.
Where would yours sit?
The range tells you where deals landed. Where would yours sit?
- Put your own figures through the exit value bridge. It splits value at exit into EBITDA growth, the change in multiple and lower net debt, on multiples you choose.
- Take the seller check. About twenty-five questions on what a buyer's team will ask, before they ask it.
- Take the Strategy check. A buyer prices the plan it believes. The check shows where your strategy practices stand.
No email before your result. No sales call after it. No list. Delete on request.
Questions
Does this value my business? No. It shows what buyers paid for other UK businesses in the sector. A buyer sets the multiple for a particular business after testing its earnings, its customers and its plan.
Where do the figures come from? Mostly from offer documents and announcements for UK listed companies taken over under the Takeover Code. Each figure is enterprise value over EBITDA. Some are stated in the source. The rest are worked out from the price and earnings it reports.
Why do these deals lean to larger businesses? A takeover of a listed company must publish its terms. Private sales of smaller businesses rarely publish a multiple.
How often do the figures change? Whenever deals are added. Each page shows the date it was last updated.