What it costs to buy a florist in Australia

Florist businesses are listed from about $90,000 for a fitted Perth studio to $370,000 plus stock for a Melbourne shop turning over about $820,000, with a Sunshine Coast franchise resale at $650,000 plus stock. Price follows profit, the years left on the lease and how much of the trade depends on the owner's own design work.

A florist is priced on the profit left after the owner is paid, and on how much of that profit walks out the door with the owner. That is why a fitted Perth studio can be listed at $90,000 while a Melbourne shop asks $370,000 plus stock. The lease, the wedding and corporate book, the online and phone order share, the cool room and van, and the owner's own design skill move the price. This guide sets out what 10 live listings ask, how florists are valued, the costs on top, and how the purchase is funded.

What florist businesses sell for

If you are weighing a neighbouring trade, read our guides to buying a butcher shop and buying a takeaway shop. A florist is a perishable-stock business: flowers are bought fresh, sold in days and thrown out if they are not. The table surveys live listings on Bsale on 4 November 2026. Figures are the vendor's, indicative market data and not Ventas offers. SAV means stock at valuation, paid on top of the price. WIWO means walk in, walk out. Listings marked sold or under offer are left out.

Three things stand out. Price follows profit and lease, not the look of the shop: Cairns asks $195,000 against profit of $156,157, while Melbourne asks $370,000 on turnover alone. The franchise at $650,000 is a different product, because the buyer pays for a brand and system as well as a shop. And most vendors publish turnover, or nothing, rather than profit. Bowen releases its financials only after a confidentiality agreement. Treat the table as a list of questions to ask, not a price list. Several listings carry a note that their key features text was generated automatically, so confirm every figure with the seller.

How florist businesses are valued

Brokers price a florist off adjusted net profit, also called owner earnings: net profit with the owner's wage, personal costs and one-off items added back. I could not find a published Australian multiple for florists in particular, so the table sets out what the listings themselves imply.

The turnover ratios cluster in a narrow band, but three listings is a small sample and the profit behind each is unknown for two of them. Do not price a deal off a turnover ratio. Price it off profit you have tested against lodged BAS and bank statements.

The trade itself is under pressure. IBISWorld counts about 2,700 flower retailing businesses in Australia in 2026, a decline of 1.8 per cent a year over 2021 to 2026, with market size of about $1.0bn. It reports supermarkets, grocers and online-only retailers selling blooms more cheaply, household budgets under strain, and Valentine's Day as a key demand driver. Florists are adding hampers, chocolates, balloons and pot plants to defend margin. A lender reads the same signals, so a shop with a growing wedding book or a stable online share is easier to fund than one living on walk-in trade.

What drives the price

• The lease. Most florist shops rent, so the lease is what you are really buying. Doncaster East shows about 4.5 years plus a 5-year option to 2035. Melbourne offers a flexible new lease with no term shown. Ask for the committed term, the rent review method and landlord consent in writing. Rent runs from $250 a week at Bowen to $1,577.33 a month plus GST at O'Connor, so location sets the margin.
• Foot traffic versus orders. A shopfront near a supermarket sells to passers-by. O'Connor says a significant proportion of orders come by phone and online. A shop that earns from orders can sit in a cheaper site, but it depends on its website and supplier prices.
• The wedding and corporate book. Bookings carry deposits and repeat clients, which lifts value, but the listings name wedding and corporate work without giving the share. O'Connor includes current bookings. Ask for the diary and how many dates are confirmed for the next 12 months.
• Cool room and van. Bowen includes a van and cool room, O'Connor a walk-in cool room, Doncaster East a large walk-in cool room. A cool room is the one fixed asset a florist cannot trade without, so check its age and condition.
• Owner dependence. Bowen shows about 40 hours a week from the owner. Victoria Park runs under part-time management. A broker guide on florist purchases notes that a shop run under management can be worth more than an owner-run shop with the same profit, because labour cost can be cut. If the vendor is the head designer, the customers may leave with them.

Buyers fall into three groups: working florists going out on their own, owners adding a second store, and buyers with retail or events experience who hire the design skill. The third group should pay the least for goodwill and ask for the longest handover.

What you pay on top of the price

The asking price is rarely the cheque. These costs sit on top, and a lender will ask you to show them.

Transfer duty depends on the state and the contract. Queensland charges duty on goodwill, plant and trading stock. On a $200,000 purchase the general rates give $5,425 ($1,050 plus $3.50 per $100 over $75,000, our arithmetic). Other states treat goodwill differently, so get the split between goodwill, plant and stock written into the contract and confirm the duty with your accountant before you sign.

GST. A going concern sale is GST-free if it is for payment, the buyer is registered or required to be, both sides agree in writing, and the seller supplies everything needed to keep operating. Otherwise 10 per cent GST applies, $20,000 on a $200,000 price. Check each listing for whether the price includes GST, and ask your accountant.

Financing a florist purchase

Lenders are cautious about florists. The business is small, the stock perishes, the profit often rests on one person's design skill, and the fixed assets resell poorly. Expect to fund a large share yourself, and expect some lenders to decline. Ventas is a finance broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here. They change with the lender, the security and the file.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A realistic purchase at a $200,000 asking price plus stock:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

Equipment finance is valued on what the used gear would resell for, which can be below the vendor's allocation, and fit-out and shelving fund poorly. A property-backed loan secured on your home or another property can fund the gap because the lender relies on the property, at the cost of putting it at risk. Our guide on whether a lender will finance the goodwill covers the goodwill layer.

What makes a florist deal fundable: two to three years of financials that match lodged BAS, a lease whose committed term at least matches the loan, florist or retail experience, security you can offer, and a handover that holds the profit when the vendor leaves.

To get a number from Ventas, send the asking price and the vendor's split between goodwill, plant and stock, two to three years of financials and BAS, the lease with its remaining term, your experience, and the security you can offer. Start at business acquisition finance or test a repayment on the secured business loan calculator. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.