How to buy a liquor store in 2024

For many entrepreneurs, the idea of owning a liquor store is an attractive proposition. Liquor stores can generate cash flow anywhere between $17,666 and $1,400,000 a year, with an average cash flow of around $210,984.22 annually.

Here are the details on the revenue and cost to acquire a liquor store, plus how to purchase a liquor store in 2024. And, we include the best financing options for funding your business.

How much does a liquor store make?

The average liquor store* has an annual net cash flow of $210,984.22. This equates to roughly $17,582.02 a month over a span of a year. However, the profitability of your liquor store business comes down to its location, size, rent, wages and more.

Chart: Cash flow range of liquor stores currently listed for sale

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• View cash flow data table

  Liquor store	Annual net cash flow
  1	$17,666
  2	$23,234
  3	$27,131
  4	$27,818
  5	$31,718
  6	$32,250
  7	$36,112
  8	$36,500
  9	$40,143
  10	$42,492
  11	$44,000
  12	$46,125
  13	$46,777
  14	$47,592
  15	$49,130
  16	$50,000
  17	$50,000
  18	$55,426
  19	$60,000
  20	$60,000
  21	$61,326
  22	$65,000
  23	$70,000
  24	$70,000
  25	$70,000
  26	$71,200
  27	$72,000
  28	$73,000
  29	$73,853
  30	$75,000
  31	$75,000
  32	$75,000
  33	$75,000
  34	$75,000
  35	$75,000
  36	$75,422
  37	$80,000
  38	$80,000
  39	$81,298
  40	$82,000
  41	$84,000
  42	$84,000
  43	$84,000
  44	$84,075
  45	$85,000
  46	$85,057
  47	$89,628
  48	$90,000
  49	$90,657
  50	$91,636
  51	$95,000
  52	$96,000
  53	$98,250
  54	$99,436
  55	$99,756
  56	$100,000
  57	$100,000
  58	$100,000
  59	$101,383
  60	$105,000
  61	$110,000
  62	$110,000
  63	$115,000
  64	$115,000
  65	$115,836
  66	$120,000
  67	$120,000
  68	$120,336
  69	$122,712
  70	$125,000
  71	$125,000
  72	$125,733
  73	$129,275
  74	$130,000
  75	$130,000
  76	$130,000
  77	$132,000
  78	$134,400
  79	$135,000
  80	$135,147
  81	$136,920
  82	$139,820
  83	$140,000
  84	$140,000
  85	$144,429
  86	$145,000
  87	$145,000
  88	$150,000
  89	$150,000
  90	$150,000
  91	$150,000
  92	$150,000
  93	$156,000
  94	$156,000
  95	$160,000
  96	$160,560
  97	$162,791
  98	$165,000
  99	$172,000
  100	$174,802
  101	$175,000
  102	$175,000
  103	$175,000
  104	$175,000
  105	$175,000
  106	$175,000
  107	$182,000
  108	$185,000
  109	$185,000
  110	$188,045
  111	$190,000
  112	$192,000
  113	$194,164
  114	$200,000
  115	$200,000
  116	$200,000
  117	$200,000
  118	$200,254
  119	$205,000
  120	$205,097
  121	$208,000
  122	$213,510
  123	$218,455
  124	$225,000
  125	$230,000
  126	$230,700
  127	$232,412
  128	$232,486
  129	$241,402
  130	$250,000
  131	$250,000
  132	$250,000
  133	$250,000
  134	$250,000
  135	$250,000
  136	$253,000
  137	$255,000
  138	$260,000
  139	$274,571
  140	$276,000
  141	$277,287
  142	$300,000
  143	$331,635
  144	$334,740
  145	$340,000
  146	$351,155
  147	$353,120
  148	$355,000
  149	$359,259
  150	$360,186
  151	$375,000
  152	$375,000
  153	$387,926
  154	$444,000
  155	$484,755
  156	$500,000
  157	$500,000
  158	$570,000
  159	$578,881
  160	$635,000
  161	$687,308
  162	$715,000
  163	$939,067
  164	$939,067
  165	$1,000,000
  166	$1,000,000
  167	$1,180,000
  168	$1,265,000
  169	$1,400,000

How to buy a liquor store

1. Find a liquor store for sale. You can find liquor stores for sale locally or online. Online you can search "liquor stores for sale near me" to find a list of business or broker websites that lists liquor stores for sale. It's important to also take note of your finances by knowing how much you have saved towards the purchase of a new business, as well as how much you may need to borrow to buy the business.
2. Figure out what the business is worth. Use various valuation methods to get a general idea of the fair market value of the business you're trying to buy to make sure you're getting a good deal.
3. Do your due diligence on owning and operating a liquor store. You'll want to weigh the pros and cons before taking the jump. Consider important factors that can affect the profitability of the business you're buying such as location, equipment, utilities and maintenance.
4. Get a business loan and make an offer. Unless you have a lot of cash on hand, you'll need a business loan to finance the purchase of a liquor store. Check out our top picks of lenders for a liquor store business loan. Once you're ready to buy, contact and negotiate with the seller or agent of the business and finalize your offer. It may be helpful to have a lawyer look over any negotiations and final contracts.

Our top picks for a liquor store business loan

Cost of buying liquor stores

The average liquor store for sale costs $905,776.25*. Although prices vary widely depending on the location, the age of equipment and whether you're purchasing real estate as part of the deal. Many are listed well below the average price, and some are much higher than the average price, especially in urban locations.

With the average annual cash flow of a liquor store at $210,984, you can expect to make back your investment in roughly 4.29 years - this translates roughly to a 23.29% APY.

Chart: Cost of liquor stores available for sale

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• View cost data table

  Liquor store	Annual net cash flow
  1	$75,000
  2	$85,000
  3	$89,900
  4	$99,575
  5	$100,000
  6	$100,000
  7	$100,000
  8	$100,000
  9	$110,000
  10	$120,000
  11	$120,000
  12	$130,000
  13	$135,000
  14	$159,000
  15	$159,000
  16	$160,000
  17	$170,000
  18	$175,000
  19	$175,000
  20	$175,000
  21	$180,000
  22	$195,000
  23	$199,000
  24	$200,000
  25	$200,000
  26	$200,000
  27	$202,118
  28	$210,000
  29	$215,000
  30	$220,000
  31	$220,000
  32	$225,000
  33	$225,000
  34	$225,000
  35	$225,000
  36	$225,000
  37	$235,000
  38	$245,000
  39	$250,000
  40	$250,000
  41	$250,000
  42	$250,000
  43	$250,000
  44	$259,000
  45	$260,000
  46	$265,000
  47	$275,000
  48	$275,000
  49	$285,000
  50	$285,000
  51	$295,000
  52	$295,000
  53	$295,000
  54	$295,000
  55	$299,000
  56	$299,000
  57	$299,000
  58	$299,000
  59	$299,900
  60	$299,900
  61	$300,000
  62	$300,000
  63	$300,000
  64	$300,000
  65	$300,000
  66	$315,000
  67	$315,000
  68	$325,000
  69	$325,000
  70	$330,000
  71	$335,000
  72	$350,000
  73	$375,000
  74	$375,000
  75	$375,000
  76	$399,000
  77	$399,000
  78	$439,000
  79	$449,000
  80	$449,000
  81	$450,000
  82	$450,000
  83	$450,000
  84	$475,000
  85	$475,000
  86	$475,000
  87	$499,999
  88	$525,000
  89	$525,000
  90	$545,000
  91	$550,000
  92	$550,000
  93	$550,000
  94	$550,000
  95	$550,000
  96	$550,000
  97	$579,000
  98	$599,000
  99	$599,000
  100	$600,000
  101	$600,000
  102	$600,000
  103	$600,000
  104	$600,000
  105	$600,000
  106	$600,000
  107	$649,000
  108	$650,000
  109	$650,000
  110	$650,000
  111	$650,000
  112	$675,000
  113	$675,000
  114	$696,000
  115	$699,000
  116	$749,000
  117	$750,000
  118	$750,000
  119	$795,000
  120	$799,999
  121	$825,000
  122	$850,000
  123	$850,000
  124	$895,000
  125	$895,000
  126	$899,000
  127	$900,000
  128	$950,000
  129	$997,000
  130	$999,000
  131	$999,000
  132	$999,000
  133	$1,050,000
  134	$1,100,000
  135	$1,100,000
  136	$1,200,000
  137	$1,200,000
  138	$1,200,000
  139	$1,200,000
  140	$1,299,000
  141	$1,300,000
  142	$1,350,000
  143	$1,400,000
  144	$1,499,000
  145	$1,599,000
  146	$1,700,000
  147	$1,750,000
  148	$1,750,000
  149	$1,850,000
  150	$1,975,000
  151	$1,999,999
  152	$2,050,000
  153	$2,400,000
  154	$2,400,000
  155	$2,700,000
  156	$2,797,797
  157	$2,900,000
  158	$2,900,000
  159	$3,000,000
  160	$3,300,000
  161	$3,400,000
  162	$3,400,000
  163	$3,500,000
  164	$3,600,000
  165	$4,500,000
  166	$5,900,000
  167	$6,300,000
  168	$6,895,000
  169	$9,000,000

Cost, revenue and cash flow of a liquor store

The average price-to-cash flow (P/CF) ratio of a liquor store business is 4.29. The P/CF ratio measures how much cash a company generates relative to its price. You might've heard of the term price-to-earning ratio (P/E ratio) before, which is a more commonly known ratio. Essentially, this measures how much you are paying for each dollar of the company's earnings.

The average operating cash flow margin of a liquor store business is 0.17. The operating cash flow margin can be calculated by dividing operating cash flow by revenue. The operating cash flow margin reveals how effectively a company converts its sales to cash.

The average price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of a liquor store business is 135%. The P/S ratio measures the revenue of the business divided by the cost, which indicates the percentage of the revenue you are paying for the company. Typically the lower the percentage, the better. However, it's best to look at a company's P/S ratio in comparison to the P/S ratios of similar companies in the same industry.

Chart: Cost, revenue, and cash flow breakdown of the lowest priced liquor stores currently listed for sale

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  Liquor store	Cost	Revenue	Cost flow
  1	$75,000	$265,000	$32,250
  2	$85,000	$750,000	$175,000
  3	$89,900	$1,265,823	$49,130
  4	$99,575	$398,438	$46,125
  5	$100,000	$750,000	$75,000
  6	$100,000	$156,623	$46,777
  7	$100,000	$854,770	$144,429
  8	$100,000	$3,238,415	$687,308
  9	$110,000	$375,000	$70,000
  10	$120,000	$436,800	$84,000

Chart: Cost, revenue, and cash flow breakdown of the highest priced liquor stores currently listed for sale

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• View data table

  Liquor store	Cost	Revenue	Cost flow
  1	$9,000,000	$12,433,869	$1,265,000
  2	$6,895,000	$4,100,000	$1,400,000
  3	$6,300,000	$5,360,412	$939,067
  4	$5,900,000	$5,360,412	$939,067
  5	$4,500,000	$842,459	$165,000
  6	$3,600,000	$5,600,000	$715,000
  7	$3,500,000	$750,000	$175,000
  8	$3,400,000	$2,360,137	$484,755
  9	$3,400,000	$600,000	$73,853
  10	$3,300,000	$6,370,472	$387,926

Steps to buying a liquor store

Buying this type of business involves finding one for sale, running the numbers and getting the right financing.

1. Search business listings

Start your search by Googling "liquor stores for sale near me." This brings up a list of business or broker websites with this type of business for sale in your area. From there, you can search listings and contact the seller or agent to get more information. Loopnet.com, Bizbuysell.com and us.businessesforsale.com are also good places to start your search.

2. Determine what the business is worth

Determining what a business is worth is both an art and a science. While this is by no means a complete list of the valuation methods available, you can get a general idea of the fair market value of a business with these calculations.

1. Times revenue method. This is calculated by taking the revenue generated by a business over a certain period times a multiplier. The multiplier depends on the industry. For example, a retail company may be valued at 2.45x revenue, while a restaurant may be valued at 2.12x revenue.
2. Liquidation value. This value is calculated by adding up everything a business owns, including real estate, equipment and inventory, and then subtracting the company's liabilities and debts. This can give you a rough estimate of what a business is worth, although it doesn't take into account future earnings.
3. Discounted cash flow method. This calculation is based on projections of the future cash flows of a business, then discounts them to today based on inflation. It's a complex calculation best determined by using an NPV calculator.

Always consult with a qualified financial advisor if you have questions. In particular, look for a professional with the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation, which means they specialize in business valuation.

3. Do your due diligence

In addition to understanding what a particular business is worth, it's important to take into account the pros and cons before signing on the dotted line.

Here's a list of the top factors to consider:

• Location. The most successful businesses are located in areas with a lot of retail stores and traffic. However, consider the type of customers you foresee frequenting your establishment and their specific needs.
• Equipment. If your business requires special equipment, new equipment is more expensive upfront but can bolster your bottom line with reduced energy costs, less maintenance and more customers through the door.
• Competition. Consider the local competition and what sets your business offering apart.
• Utilities. If your business relies heavily on electricity, gas, water, trash and sewage services, you'll want to analyze the availability of these services and their costs carefully.
• Insurance. This is a must-have for any public-facing business. You'll want to make sure you have sufficient coverage to pay for a range of unforeseen circumstances.
• Maintenance. Who will do the repairs, mop the floors or answer the phone? While this business can be a part-time operation, no business is maintenance-free.
• Security. Depending on the location, your business may require extra security features, like cameras.

As with any large business purchase, be sure to educate yourself thoroughly about buying and running that type of business. Many online resources are available from experts who can offer in-depth guidance for your particular industry.

4. Get financing and make an offer

Business loans come in a wide range of flavors, but the most commonly used types for buying a new business or business assets include SBA loans, like the SBA 7(a), 504 and microloan lending programs, equipment loans or personal loans. These loans are offered by banks, credit unions and online lenders.

Online business loan marketplaces like Lendio, Lendzi and Businessloans.com can also be a good place to start your search. You'll want to compare multiple loan types across several lenders to find the best deal.

Dive deeper: Average business loan rates by type

How to finance a liquor store

Liquor stores can be financed with these options:

• Personal finances. Cash from savings, an inheritance or from selling another business can be an ideal way to finance your purchase.
• SBA loan programs. The SBA 7(a) loan program could potentially be used to purchase this type of business. To qualify, you need to have a 700+ score, a minimum 20% down payment and financial statements from the business of interest.
• Personal loan. Because they don't have a time-in-business or revenue requirement, personal loans can be another way to finance your purchase, especially if you can get a competitive rate.
• Equipment loan. Equipment loans can sometimes be used to finance this type of business equipment, depending on the business's eligibility. But it may be trickier to get an equipment loan if your business is a mostly cash business or considered a restricted business.

Tip: If you're going for an SBA loan to purchase your business, try to find a preferred SBA lender to help push your application through faster.

Steps to get a loan for a liquor store

Here are the steps to apply for a business loan:

1. Check your eligibility. This step involves checking your personal score and determining if you have any collateral to pledge if you choose a secured loan.
2. Gather your documentation. These typically include bank statements, tax returns, the business's financial statements and a personal guarantee.
3. Complete the application. Fill out the full application, upload documents or link your financial accounts and review the application for accuracy.
4. Wait for approval and funding. Next, you need to wait for approval and funding. SBA loans can take weeks to months to process.

Dive deeper: How to get a business loan

Where to buy a liquor store

We've found liquor stores publicly listed for sale in the following states. Updated daily.

• View location data table

  State	# of liquor stores for sale
  Alabama	1
  Arizona	6
  Arkansas	2
  Colorado	3
  Connecticut	14
  Florida	29
  Georgia	5
  Idaho	1
  Illinois	9
  Iowa	1
  Maryland	3
  Massachusetts	5
  Michigan	3
  Minnesota	2
  Mississippi	6
  Missouri	7
  Montana	2
  New Hampshire	1
  New Jersey	65
  New York	44
  North Carolina	3
  Ohio	2
  Oklahoma	1
  Oregon	1
  Pennsylvania	5
  South Carolina	5
  Texas	20
  Wisconsin	1
  Wyoming	2

The annual cash flow of the liquor stores range from $17,666 to $1,400,000.

Chart: Cash flow of liquor stores that are currently listed for sale

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• View cash flow data table

  Liquor store	Annual net cash flow
  1	$17,666
  2	$23,234
  3	$27,131
  4	$27,818
  5	$31,718
  6	$32,250
  7	$36,112
  8	$36,500
  9	$40,143
  10	$42,492
  11	$44,000
  12	$46,125
  13	$46,777
  14	$47,592
  15	$49,130
  16	$50,000
  17	$50,000
  18	$55,426
  19	$60,000
  20	$60,000
  21	$61,326
  22	$65,000
  23	$70,000
  24	$70,000
  25	$70,000
  26	$71,200
  27	$72,000
  28	$73,000
  29	$73,853
  30	$75,000
  31	$75,000
  32	$75,000
  33	$75,000
  34	$75,000
  35	$75,000
  36	$75,422
  37	$80,000
  38	$80,000
  39	$81,298
  40	$82,000
  41	$84,000
  42	$84,000
  43	$84,000
  44	$84,075
  45	$85,000
  46	$85,057
  47	$89,628
  48	$90,000
  49	$90,657
  50	$91,636
  51	$95,000
  52	$96,000
  53	$98,250
  54	$99,436
  55	$99,756
  56	$100,000
  57	$100,000
  58	$100,000
  59	$101,383
  60	$105,000
  61	$110,000
  62	$110,000
  63	$115,000
  64	$115,000
  65	$115,836
  66	$120,000
  67	$120,000
  68	$120,336
  69	$122,712
  70	$125,000
  71	$125,000
  72	$125,733
  73	$129,275
  74	$130,000
  75	$130,000
  76	$130,000
  77	$132,000
  78	$134,400
  79	$135,000
  80	$135,147
  81	$136,920
  82	$139,820
  83	$140,000
  84	$140,000
  85	$144,429
  86	$145,000
  87	$145,000
  88	$150,000
  89	$150,000
  90	$150,000
  91	$150,000
  92	$150,000
  93	$156,000
  94	$156,000
  95	$160,000
  96	$160,560
  97	$162,791
  98	$165,000
  99	$172,000
  100	$174,802
  101	$175,000
  102	$175,000
  103	$175,000
  104	$175,000
  105	$175,000
  106	$175,000
  107	$182,000
  108	$185,000
  109	$185,000
  110	$188,045
  111	$190,000
  112	$192,000
  113	$194,164
  114	$200,000
  115	$200,000
  116	$200,000
  117	$200,000
  118	$200,254
  119	$205,000
  120	$205,097
  121	$208,000
  122	$213,510
  123	$218,455
  124	$225,000
  125	$230,000
  126	$230,700
  127	$232,412
  128	$232,486
  129	$241,402
  130	$250,000
  131	$250,000
  132	$250,000
  133	$250,000
  134	$250,000
  135	$250,000
  136	$253,000
  137	$255,000
  138	$260,000
  139	$274,571
  140	$276,000
  141	$277,287
  142	$300,000
  143	$331,635
  144	$334,740
  145	$340,000
  146	$351,155
  147	$353,120
  148	$355,000
  149	$359,259
  150	$360,186
  151	$375,000
  152	$375,000
  153	$387,926
  154	$444,000
  155	$484,755
  156	$500,000
  157	$500,000
  158	$570,000
  159	$578,881
  160	$635,000
  161	$687,308
  162	$715,000
  163	$939,067
  164	$939,067
  165	$1,000,000
  166	$1,000,000
  167	$1,180,000
  168	$1,265,000
  169	$1,400,000

*Based on 169 liquor store that are listed for sale from businessesforsale.com.

Sources

• businessesforsale.com

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