Can I get bank financing for an acquisition?

Yes — Spanish banks lend 40–60% LTV on small business acquisitions, secured against the assets and usually a personal guarantee. ENISA and ICO offer state-backed loans up to €1.5M for SME succession deals.

Do I need to keep the existing staff?

Under Spanish labour law, an asset transfer triggers automatic 'subrogación' — you inherit all employees with their accrued rights. Restructuring is possible but expensive (mandatory redundancy compensation of 20 days per year worked, capped at 12 months).

What's a realistic timeline to close?

3–5 months from agreed price to notary signing for a clean deal, 6–9 months if there are tax or labour issues to clean up first.

Business

Small Business Acquisitions on the Costa Blanca

The province has 90,000+ registered SMEs and a striking demographic: a generation of founders who started businesses in the 1990s tourism boom is now retiring without succession. That creates a steady deal flow of cash-flowing small businesses for sale at sensible multiples — if you know where to look.

Last updated 1 June 2026

The retirement-succession opportunity

Roughly 35% of Costa Blanca SMEs are owned by founders aged 60+. Many don't have a family successor and prefer a sale over closure. Average asking multiples sit at 3.5–5× EBITDA for stable service businesses, 4–6× for hospitality with property, and 1.5–2.5× revenue for online businesses with consistent traffic.

Categories with reliable deal flow

Category	Typical price	Typical EBITDA multiple	Common red flags
Independent café/bar (small)	€35k–€120k	1.5–3×	Cash-only accounts, lease length
Restaurant with terrace	€80k–€350k	2–4×	Terrace licence not transferable
Beauty / hair salon	€25k–€90k	1.5–3×	Key staff non-tied, lease
Auto repair / MOT	€80k–€300k	3–4×	Environmental compliance, ITV ties
Tourist services (excursions, rentals)	€60k–€250k	2–4×	Seasonality, fleet condition
Specialist retail (e.g. wine, deli)	€40k–€180k	2–3.5×	Founder-dependent customer base
B2B services (accounting, agency)	€100k–€500k	3–5×	Client concentration, retention

Asset deal vs share deal

Most Costa Blanca SME acquisitions are 'compra de activos' (asset deal) — you buy the operating assets and licence transfer but leave the legal entity behind. This avoids inheriting hidden liabilities but costs 4% ITP on transferred assets. Share deals are cheaper tax-wise but require deeper diligence on historical debts, employment claims and tax positions.

Where deals come from

✦Local business brokers — small, independent, town-by-town. The best are in Alicante, Dénia and Torrevieja.
✦Online platforms — Idealista Empresas, Niumba, MilAnuncios (lots of noise; treat as a lead source not a final filter).
✦Asesorías / gestorías — local accounting firms see succession needs first and often broker informally.
✦Direct outreach — letter campaigns to owners aged 60+ in your target sector produce surprisingly high response rates.
✦Insolvency administrators — distressed deals at 30–60% discount to fair value, but operational risk is high.

Non-negotiable due-diligence steps

✦Last 3 years filed accounts ('cuentas anuales') from the Registro Mercantil — never trust spreadsheet P&Ls alone.
✦VAT returns ('Modelo 303') and corporate tax filings — must reconcile with the accounts within 5%.
✦TGSS clearance ('certificado de estar al corriente') — confirms no social security debt.
✦AEAT clearance — confirms no tax debt.
✦Labour audit — list of employees with seniority, contract type, accrued holidays and any pending Inspección de Trabajo cases.
✦Premises licence — must cover the actual activity; verify with the municipality directly.
✦Lease assignability — Spanish commercial leases assign by default but landlords often have a right of refusal or rent uplift.