No two business sales are exactly alike — and sector makes a bigger difference than many buyers and sellers expect.
A café sale involves licensing, lease terms, food hygiene ratings and equipment. A SaaS business sale is about ARR, churn, code ownership and technical due diligence. Buying a care home means understanding CQC regulation, safeguarding, occupancy and complex staffing. Buying a franchise brings franchisor approval, territory rights and transfer restrictions that you wouldn't encounter in a freehold independent business.
The Buy a Business Ltd Sector Guides are written to give buyers and sellers the specific context they need for the type of business they're dealing with — alongside the main buyer, seller, valuation and due diligence guides, not instead of them.
Food, Hospitality and Accommodation
How to Sell a Restaurant or Café in the UKis the essential guide for sellers of cafés, restaurants and small hospitality businesses. It covers the things that matter most in this sector: lease terms, alcohol licensing, food hygiene ratings, equipment condition, staff transfer, turnover evidence and how to present the trading history credibly to buyers.
How to Buy a Pub in the UKcovers what buyers need to check before purchasing a pub — including the lease structure (tied vs free of tie), alcohol licensing, stock valuation, staff arrangements, maintenance records and how to assess the actual trading performance rather than relying on the seller's projections.
How to Buy a Hotel, Guest House or B&B in the UKgives buyers the specific checks for accommodation businesses — occupancy data, fire safety compliance, food hygiene ratings, alcohol licensing, property condition, planning status and how online review profiles affect value.
Retail and Local Consumer Businesses
How to Sell a Retail Shop in the UKcovers the key preparation and presentation issues for sellers of independent shops and local retail businesses — including lease terms, stock position, supplier relationships and how the accounts reflect the true trading performance.
How to Buy a Convenience Store or Newsagent in the UKcovers the specific checks for this sector — including the alcohol licence, tobacco retailing registration, lottery terminal terms, supplier agreements, lease structure, stock valuation and the reality of the hours involved.
How to Sell a Hair or Beauty Salon in the UKhelps salon owners prepare the things buyers care about most: client retention, staff arrangements (employed vs self-employed), equipment condition, product supplier agreements and lease terms — as well as how to handle the confidentiality of client data.
How to Sell a Pet Business in the UKis relevant for sellers of grooming, dog walking, boarding, day care and other pet-related businesses — covering licensing requirements (including animal activity licensing), client records, staff, insurance and the lease or property situation.
How to Buy a Laundrette or Dry Cleaning Business in the UKcovers the specific checks for machine-based businesses — machine condition and age, utility costs and current tariffs, lease terms, environmental permits (particularly for dry cleaning solvent use), repair history and the true operational time required.
How to Sell a Gym or Fitness Business in the UKhelps gym and fitness studio sellers prepare the membership metrics, churn data, equipment records and lease information that buyers and their advisers will want to see.
Health, Care and Childcare
How to Sell a Dental Practice in the UKcovers one of the more complex regulated sectors in this space. NHS vs private income split, CQC registration status, staff structure (associates vs employees), patient record handling and the realities of introducing new ownership to an established patient base are all covered.
How to Buy a Care Home or Care Business in the UKis for buyers considering one of the most heavily regulated sectors in UK business. It covers CQC registration and inspection ratings, safeguarding obligations, staffing ratios, contracts with local authorities and NHS bodies, occupancy, property condition and the specific due diligence that applies in this sector.
How to Buy a Nursery or Childcare Business in the UKcovers the specific checks for Ofsted-registered businesses — registration continuity on change of ownership, safeguarding requirements, staff ratios, EYFS compliance and the practicalities of premises.
Trades, Construction and Vehicle Services
How to Sell a Construction or Trades Business in the UKis aimed at sellers of construction, building, plumbing, electrical and general trades businesses. It covers how to document contracts and pipeline, the importance of certifications and accreditations, vehicle and equipment assets, staff transfer and how to present project-based turnover credibly.
How to Sell a Garage, MOT Centre or Vehicle Repair Business in the UKhelps garage and MOT centre sellers prepare the things buyers care about: DVSA/MOT station approval status, equipment condition and calibration records, technician qualifications, lease terms and trading history.
How to Sell a Cleaning Business in the UKcovers the specific preparation for sellers of contract cleaning businesses — including client contract terms, staff records, COSHH compliance, keyholding protocols, equipment and vehicles, and how to present the contracted recurring revenue clearly.
Online, Digital and Technology
How to Sell an E-Commerce Business in the UKis for sellers of online stores and product businesses. It covers the metrics buyers look at — traffic, conversion, average order value, repeat purchase rates — alongside supplier agreements, stock position, VAT treatment, customer data handling and platform dependency risk.
How to Sell a SaaS Business in the UKcovers the specific considerations for software and subscription businesses — ARR, MRR, churn rate, gross margin, customer concentration, code ownership, technical debt and the due diligence that technical buyers and their advisers typically carry out.
How to Sell a Digital Marketing or Web Design Agency in the UKhelps agency owners prepare the key evidence buyers want to see: retainer contract terms, churn rate, client concentration, staff vs contractor mix, IP ownership and what happens to client relationships if the founder leaves.
Professional Services
How to Sell an Accountancy Practice in the UKcovers the specific complexities of selling a fee-earning practice — recurring fee income, client tenure, AML compliance, PI insurance, staff capacity and the challenge of client introduction and retention after the seller departs.
How to Sell an Estate Agency or Lettings Business in the UKcovers the regulatory and commercial specifics of property agency — redress scheme membership, CMP (Client Money Protection) compliance, AML procedures, lettings portfolio, client money handling and the distinction between sales and lettings income.
How to Buy a Recruitment Agency in the UKhelps buyers check what matters in this sector — client contracts and exclusivity terms, candidate database (and GDPR implications), temporary/permanent split, temp book size, rebate obligations, CRM platform and key fee-earner contracts.
Transport, Manufacturing and Distribution
How to Sell a Manufacturing Business in the UKis for sellers of product manufacturing businesses — covering machinery condition and valuation, work-in-progress, stock and raw materials, order book, customer contracts, health and safety compliance, environmental obligations and staff.
How to Buy a Wholesale or Distribution Business in the UKcovers the specific checks for businesses that buy and resell products — stock quality, valuation and obsolescence risk, supplier concentration, warehouse lease, product safety compliance and the working capital intensity of the business model.
How to Buy a Transport, Courier or Logistics Business in the UKcovers operator licensing (O licence), vehicle fleet condition and service history, driver employment status and compliance, tachograph records, customer contracts, insurance and fuel cost exposure.
Franchise Businesses
How to Buy or Sell a Franchise in the UKcovers both sides of a franchise transaction — the process of getting franchisor approval for a sale, transfer fees, territory agreements, the lease (often assigned separately), the franchise agreement itself and what the buyer's obligations will be going forward.
Using Sector Guides Alongside Main Guides
Sector guides are designed to be read alongside the main buying and selling guides — not instead of them.
If you're selling, start with the How to Sell a Business in the UK guide and the Seller Checklist, then read your sector guide. If you're buying, start with the How to Buy a UK Business guide and the Buyer Checklist, then read the sector guide for the business you're considering.
For sectors not yet covered, the closest relevant guide is usually a useful starting point. A bakery can draw on the restaurant and retail guidance. A mobile mechanic can use the garage and trades guides. A Shopify business can use the e-commerce and digital guides. A B2B services company can draw on the agency, accountancy or recruitment guidance.
More sector guides will be added to the Knowledge Centre over time.
*Buy a Business Ltd is a marketplace, not a broker, corporate finance adviser, M&A adviser, law firm, accountant, tax adviser, lender, valuation firm or investment adviser. Information, guides, templates, checklists and examples in this Knowledge Centre are for general guidance only and do not constitute legal, tax, financial, investment, lending, valuation, employment, data protection, brokerage, corporate finance, M&A or regulated advice. Buying or selling a business involves risk. You should seek independent professional advice before buying, selling, valuing, financing, negotiating or completing a business purchase.*