You want to sell your chimney sweeping business? Then it's good to know what the takeover market in the field of chimney companies looks like.
The number of chimney sweeping companies in the Netherlands is relatively small and most of them are sole proprietors. The amount of consolidations has been stable for several years with no surprises.
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 construction & installation technology, which includes a chimney sweeping company, an indicative range of EBITDA multiple of 3.7 to 4.7 is currently used, 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).
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Do you want to buy a business or sell a business in the Construction & Installation Technology sector? With this Brookz Sector Monitor, we want to present buyers and sellers with facts, figures and a look ahead that provide insight into the number of transactions, the value development of businesses and the latest trends and developments in Construction & Installation Technology. Because in any buying or selling process, thorough preparation provides peace of mind, overview and structure.
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There are many startups in the industry every year, which also makes many businesses with only one person working visible. It is one of the oldest trades and very important for safety in and around the home.
In figures, the number of chimney sweeping companies in 2024 looked as follows(CBS):
With this online training from Brookz you are optimally prepared to largely sell your business yourself: 25 Powerpoint videos, a comprehensive valuation report, legal model contracts, handy templates, checklists and expert support. Plus 50% discount on listing your business on Brookz!
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A number of trends and developments will inevitably cause changes over the next few years, but also offer chimney sweeping companies many growth and acquisition opportunities:
In addition to traditional chimney flue cleaning, chimney sweeps do more than that these days. Think about jobs like chimney renovation, camera inspections and ventilation duct cleaning.
Burning wood puts a burden on the environment resulting in pollution and health problems. Wood burning is currently on the agenda for politicians as they want to reduce emissions. Chimney sweeps can innovate by advising on environmentally friendly firing, according to the General Chimney Sweepers Patrons Association.
Due to high gas prices, more and more families are lighting the wood stove. This requires more mantle chimneys to be swept and more maintenance to be performed. Because of this trend, many chimney sweeps are full and cleaning companies are taking over the cleaning work.
