You want to buy or sell a campground? Then it's good to know what the takeover market in the field of campgrounds looks like.
Every year between five and ten campgrounds in the Netherlands change hands or two campground entrepreneurs enter into a collaboration through a merger. Not great numbers in absolute terms, but in percentage terms this is about 0.10 percent of the total number of campsites each year.
There are many ways to value a business. A common method of expressing the value of a business is "a factor x gross annual profit." This factor is also called multiple and another designation for gross annual profit is EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization).
In the hotel, recreation and tourism, the industry to which campgrounds belong, an indicative range of EBITDA-multiple of 2.9 to 4.0 currently applies, according to the Brookz Takeover Barometer. The average EBITDA multiple across all SME sectors is 4.90.
The valuation of a business is often the starting point for negotiations between buyer and seller. The outcome of these negotiations is the final sales price. So valuation and price are two different quantities. Besides valuation, the price is also determined by possible scarcity in the market, bargaining power of the parties, the strategic value of the business for the buyer and possible synergy effects for the buyer (cost savings, purchasing advantages).
Do the calculation
In figures, the number of campsites in 2024 looked as follows(CBS):
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A number of trends and developments will inevitably cause changes over the next few years, but also offer the camping industry many growth and acquisition opportunities:
Interest in off-grid living is growing, especially among millennials and the generation after that. Living from an RV, without always having gas, electric & water on hand. Often they do have a northern battery, but otherwise it's survival and searching for the next charging point. For entrepreneurs, the prospect is that investments in lithium batteries and solar will pay off.
Camping without the use of glass bottles and the use of circular tents is what is in demand by the average camping fan, according to ANWB. By using sustainable materials and adapting the production process, at least 100,000 liters of drinking water can be saved, per tent!
Campsites can respond to the need for luxury and comfort (glamping). In doing so, they can take inspiration from the hotel industry. For example, they can attract guests with a customized offer and extra services: from flexible check-in and check-out, a breakfast service and a babysitter to massages and packages with fun attractions and activities in the area. Also promising is the use of local experts; they can be hired by guests to provide a guided tour, (city) walk or visit to an event.
Besides the typical children's campgrounds or just 50-plus campgrounds, more and more other camping facilities with a theme are popping up. Kampeermagazine says, "Think youth camping, nature camping or just a location for people who can appreciate luxurious glamping.
