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What is a liquor store worth?
Liquor stores that sold from 2021 to 2025 went for a median of 2.85x seller's discretionary earnings (SDE). The middle half sold for 2.2x to 4x. [1]
Last verified October 24, 2026
What multiple do liquor stores sell for?
- Lower quartile
- 2.2x
- Median
- 2.85x
- Upper quartile
- 4x
Times seller's discretionary earnings (SDE). Liquor stores, BizBuySell, sales 2021–2025; 1,076 sales.
SDE is the profit one owner takes out of the business: pre-tax profit plus one owner's pay and perks, interest, depreciation and one-time costs. How we calculate it.
What raises the value of liquor stores?
- Stores over $1.75MM in revenue may approach about 4x SDE. [1]
- Limited liquor licenses restrict local competition; demand is resilient in downturns. [1]
What lowers the value of liquor stores?
- Stores under $700K trade near 2x. [1]
How should you use these numbers?
Multiply your SDE by a multiple in the range to get a rough price for the business, not counting real estate. Where you land in the range depends on how much the business depends on you, how much revenue repeats, growth, customer concentration and the other factors in the calculator. Half of all sales land outside the quartile range, so a real deal can go higher or lower.
An estimate for planning, not an appraisal. It is not tax, legal or investment advice. For a sale, a bank loan, a partner buyout, a divorce or an estate, hire a certified appraiser (CVA, ABV or ASA).
Where do these numbers come from?
Sources and the dates we checked them
| # | Source | Data period | Published | Type | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks: Liquor Stores BizBuySell (CoStar Group) | Businesses sold 2021–2025 | Businesses sold 2021–2025 | transaction data | 2026-10-24 |