You want to sell your marina? Then it's good to know what the takeover market in the field of marinas looks like. Due to the aging population, there is a significant shift of target groups in water sports. But tapping into new target groups also offers opportunities for marina owners and will make the business more future-proof in the long run.
The number of marina acquisitions has been growing since 2017.
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 hospitality, tourism and recreation, the sector to which marinas belong, an indicative range of EBITDA multiple of 2.9 to 4.0 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 Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation sector? With this Brookz Sector Monitor we want to present buyers and sellers with facts, figures and an outlook that provide insight into the number of transactions, the value development of businesses and the latest trends and developments in the Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation sector. Because in any buying or selling process, thorough preparation provides peace of mind, overview and structure.
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An improving economy is beneficial to the marina industry. The industry benefits when there is higher consumer spending. Hence, there are also more marinas in the Netherlands today than, say, ten years ago. Our country has 440 marinas and this number has been stable for a number of years. Most marinas are located in the 'water provinces' of North Holland and Friesland.
In figures, the number of marinas in 2024 looked as follows(CBS):
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A number of trends and developments will inevitably cause changes in the coming years, but also offer marinas many growth and acquisition opportunities:
Boat owners are getting older and older, Rabobank points out. And if the current generation of sixty-somethings stops sailing, it will have an adverse outcome for marinas. Because people are working longer, they only have more time for a boat later in life. Therefore, marina owners should seriously consider tapping into new target groups.
Marinas also need to become more versatile. By realizing experience concepts for every age group, a marina becomes more than just a berth for the boat. Consider, for example, entertainment for children, good catering for the elderly, recreational facilities and other forms of experience.
The sharing economy is also reaching water sports. Ownership is becoming less and less important and, as a result, people more often own a boat together or rent one. Boat ownership is expected to decline by about 25 percent over the next 15 years. The emergence of platforms for renting boats from individuals is also an opportunity for marinas: they can act as intermediaries.
The line between work and leisure is becoming increasingly blurred, especially with the changes in the recent corona pandemic. According to HISWA/RECRON, it is a fact that work is no longer necessarily time- or location-bound, allowing for work in the leisure industry or even on the water.
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