Canterbury business valuation benchmarks
Business valuation evidence for Canterbury, drawn from 1,522 verified sales recorded by licensed NZ business brokers. Indexed price trends, median time-to-sell, recent comparables and an industry breakdown, covering the Canterbury region across every ANZSIC division.
The state of the Canterbury business sales market
Canterbury is the largest business-sales market in the South Island and second only to Auckland nationally. Bizstats has recorded 1,522 verified Canterbury sales, the bulk of them in greater Christchurch, spanning hospitality, retail, manufacturing and trade-services businesses. Accommodation and Food Services is the most active category at roughly 30% of recorded transactions, ahead of Retail Trade and Manufacturing.
The indexed median Canterbury sale price reached 174 by 2025, a 74% cumulative rise on the 2010 baseline. The year-to-year path is uneven, because each year's median rests on a sample of recorded sales, but the long-run direction is firmly upward.
Median time-to-sell has been notably stable, close to 4 months in most years and 4 months by 2025. Canterbury businesses change hands at a healthy pace. SDE multiples have stayed broadly flat, so the price appreciation reflects larger, stronger businesses coming to market more than a richer multiple per dollar of earnings.
Sale price and SDE multiple figures are indexed to 2010 = 100. The +% values show cumulative change since the 2010 baseline. The full dollar medians, by industry and sub-category, are available in a Bizstats valuation report.
Indexed median business sale price in Canterbury
Median sale price for business transactions recorded in Canterbury, indexed to 2010 = 100. The underlying dollar medians by industry and sub-category are published in the Bizstats valuation report.
Commentary: The Canterbury price index reached 174 by 2025, a 74% cumulative rise since 2010, briefly touching 219. Read the multi-year trend rather than any single point: the long-run direction is a clear appreciation.
Indexed median SDE multiple in Canterbury
Median SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) multiple paid for businesses in Canterbury, indexed to 2010 = 100. The price index tracks what businesses sell for; the SDE multiple index tracks what buyers are paying per dollar of earnings. Actual multiples by industry are published in a Bizstats valuation report.
Commentary: The Canterbury SDE multiple has not structurally re-rated. The index has held in a tight 94-119 band since 2010, sitting at 96 by 2025, close to the 2010 baseline. Rising sale prices reflect bigger, stronger businesses transacting rather than buyers paying more per dollar of earnings.
What buyers pay for in a Canterbury business sale
The average split of the sale price into tangible assets, stock and intangibles (brand, customer base and other non-physical value) for business transactions recorded in Canterbury, year by year. Each bar is a 100% view: it shows the mix, not the dollar value.
- Tangibles
- Stock
- Intangibles
| Year | Tangibles | Stock | Intangibles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 43% | 3% | 54% |
| 2011 | 39% | 2% | 59% |
| 2012 | 39% | 2% | 59% |
| 2013 | 38% | 3% | 59% |
| 2014 | 25% | 3% | 72% |
| 2015 | 33% | 3% | 64% |
| 2016 | 28% | 5% | 67% |
| 2017 | 36% | 4% | 60% |
| 2018 | 22% | 3% | 75% |
| 2019 | 36% | 4% | 60% |
| 2020 | 22% | 2% | 76% |
| 2021 | 24% | 4% | 72% |
| 2022 | 16% | 7% | 77% |
| 2023 | 16% | 5% | 79% |
| 2024 | 22% | 3% | 75% |
| 2025 | 30% | 3% | 67% |
Commentary: Across Canterbury's recorded sales the median deal split roughly 30% tangible assets, 3% stock and 67% intangibles by 2025. The intangible share has moved from 54% in 2010 to 67% (+13 points). Canterbury's broad base of trade, manufacturing and Accommodation and Food Services businesses keeps tangible plant and stock a real part of the deal.
Median time-to-sell for Canterbury businesses
Median months from listing to unconditional sale for business transactions in Canterbury. A leading indicator of buyer demand. Tighter time-to-sell signals stronger competition for available stock.
Commentary: Time-to-sell has been steady, with a median close to 4 months through most of the period, a high of 6 months in 2022 and 4 months by 2025. A consistently short time-to-sell signals a broad, active buyer pool.
Recent business sales in Canterbury
A sample of recent anonymised transactions recorded in Canterbury. Each row shows the ANZSIC sub-category, revenue, SDE and sale month, with revenue and SDE rounded to the nearest $100,000. Full anonymised comparables with exact sale prices and SDE multiples are in a Bizstats valuation report.
| ANZSIC | Revenue | SDE | SDE X | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textile Finishing and Other Textile Product Manufacturing | $900,000 | $300,000 | ••• | Apr 2026 |
| Other Building Installation Services | $2,700,000 | $1,000,000 | ••• | Mar 2026 |
| Roofing Services | $2,000,000 | $300,000 | ••• | Mar 2026 |
| Air Conditioning and Heating Services | $2,700,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Mar 2026 |
| Road Freight Transport | $1,300,000 | $300,000 | ••• | Feb 2026 |
| Air Conditioning and Heating Services | $600,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Jan 2026 |
| Other Store-Based Retailing n.e.c. | $800,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Jan 2026 |
| Clothing Retailing | $400,000 | $200,000 | ••• | Jan 2026 |
| Solid Waste Collection Services | $500,000 | $100,000 | ••• | Dec 2025 |
| Other Public Order and Safety Services | $1,900,000 | $500,000 | ••• | Dec 2025 |
See what they actually sold for. A Bizstats valuation report unlocks exact sale prices, SDE multiples and time-to-sell for businesses in Canterbury by ANZSIC sub-category.
Create a Bizstats report →Sample drawn from 1,522 verified Canterbury transactions, updated as new sales are recorded by our network of licensed NZ business brokers.
Business sales by industry in Canterbury
Recorded Canterbury business sales by ANZSIC industry division. Accommodation and Food Services leads with 450 recorded sales, about 30% of the regional total. Follow any linked industry for its nationwide benchmarks.
| Industry (ANZSIC division) | Recorded sales | Share of region |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 450 | 30% |
| Retail Trade | 242 | 16% |
| Manufacturing | 205 | 13% |
| Other Services | 186 | 12% |
| Wholesale Trade | 106 | 7% |
| Construction | 66 | 4% |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 46 | 3% |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 41 | 3% |
| Administrative and Support Services | 39 | 3% |
| Education and Training | 31 | 2% |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 27 | 2% |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 26 | 2% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 17 | 1% |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 11 | 1% |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | 10 | 1% |
| Public Administration and Safety | 10 | 1% |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 8 | 1% |
| Financial and Insurance Services | 1 | 0% |
Industries with a published benchmark page are linked. Counts span every recorded year; where a region has fewer than 15 recorded sales in an industry the sample is too thin to benchmark that industry x region cell reliably.
Put these Canterbury benchmarks to work
Apply Bizstats Canterbury benchmarks to a specific business: your own, a target acquisition or a comparable you're researching. Three free tools, no signup, real insights.
Work out Seller's Discretionary Earnings for a Canterbury business, step by step.
Calculate SDEStart hereApply industry multiples to your SDE and get a market value estimate for a Canterbury business in seconds.
Try for FreeCalculate the return on investment for a Canterbury business purchase.
Calculate ROICanterbury business valuation FAQ
Canterbury is the largest business-sales market in the South Island and second only to Auckland nationally. Bizstats has recorded 1,522 verified Canterbury sales, the bulk of them in greater Christchurch. Accommodation and Food Services is the most active category at roughly 30% of recorded transactions.
Yes, over the long run. Indexed to 2010 = 100, the median Canterbury sale price reached around 174 by 2025, a 74% increase. Year to year the index is volatile, but the long-run direction is a clear upward trend. The underlying dollar medians by industry are in a Bizstats valuation report.
SDE multiples vary far more by industry than by region. Location, lease terms, customer concentration and the strength of trading history all influence where a specific business lands. The exact SDE multiples for a Canterbury business in your industry are published in a Bizstats valuation report.
Median time-to-sell for Canterbury businesses sits at roughly 4 months and has been very stable since 2010. A consistently short time-to-sell reflects a broad, active buyer pool across greater Christchurch.
Accommodation and Food Services leads with 450 recorded sales, followed by Retail Trade and Manufacturing. The full ranking is in the industry breakdown on this page, and each industry with a published benchmark page is linked. You can also browse all industry benchmarks directly.
Bizstats publishes market direction freely (indexed trends, sample counts, time-to-sell, industry breakdowns), but the underlying dollar medians and SDE multiples are part of a paid Bizstats valuation report. This split lets buyers, sellers, brokers and accountants benchmark direction at no cost.
The dataset is updated monthly, with new transactions constantly flowing in from our network of licensed New Zealand business brokers. The indexed trends and charts on this page are benchmarked from 2010.
About this page
The benchmark figures, charts and recent comparables above are drawn from 1,522 verified business sales recorded in Canterbury by licensed NZ business brokers. The written analysis is generated from that data and reviewed by the Bizstats team, and is refreshed as new sales are recorded. These are indicative market benchmarks, not a formal valuation. See our Terms of Use.
Benchmarks last updated .
Learn more about business valuation
Guides that explain the metrics behind these regional benchmarks: SDE, earnings multiples, the ANZSIC classification and how market-based valuation works.
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