A total of 1,068 small and mid-sized California businesses changed hands last month, a small increase from the 1,057 deals closed during May of last year. This appears to be a continuation of the month-to-month fluctuation in results as the market slowly improves. The May 2011 deal count was up about eight percent from the 986 transactions completed the previous month (April 2011), which turned in the lowest sales record for any month this year.
We're observing the same pattern in small business sales figures that stock market investors are experiencing. Some months are better than others and there’s no straight-line trend. But overall the sales volume is improving from the worst part of the recession.
Sales activity was particularly strong in the state’s large counties. The total of 307 deals in Los Angeles County last month represents more than a 13% improvement over the 267 transactions recorded in April. The count of 94 sales in Orange County last month meant a 5.6% improvement over the 86 sales in May of last year, but a decline of about 8.7% from the 103 deals concluded in April 2011. San Diego County figures were up to 105 last month compared to 94 sales in May 2010 and just 62 deals completed in April 2011.
Also showing strong sales in the just completed month were Riverside County with 54 transactions and Sacramento posting 33. There were 43 sales in San Bernardino County, 61 in San Francisco, and 24 in Stanislaus County, all figures higher than the sales totals posted for the counties during the previous May and the previous month (April 2011).
Buyers, sellers, business brokers and loan brokers report that easier access to borrowed funds and more creative deal structuring are helping to lift the California businesses for sale market out of the doldrums.
The May sales totals, by county, listed on the BizBen.com Index, at http://www.bizben.com/stats/stats-monthly-may.php are as follows:
Alameda: 36, Amador: 2, Contra Costa: 20, El Dorado: 5, Fresno: 19, Imperial: 2, Kern: 21, Lassen: 1, Los Angeles: 303, Marin: 8, Mendocino: 1, Merced: 3, Monterey: 12, Napa: 5, Orange: 94, Placer: 10, Riverside: 54, Sacramento: 33, San Bernardino: 43, San Diego: 105, San Francisco: 61, San Joaquin: 25, San Luis Obispo: 11, San Mateo: 17, Santa Barbara: 11, Santa Clara: 55, Santa Cruz: 12, Shasta: 11, Solano: 6, Sonoma: 14, Stanislaus: 24, Sutter: 1, Tehama: 1, Trinity: 1, Tulare: 9, Tuolumne: 1, Ventura: 25,Yolo: 6
This information is provided by the BizBen.com Index, which for the past 15 years has collected and reported important data about California’s small businesses for sale market.
About the Author: Peter Siegel, MBA is the Founder of www.BizBen.com (established 1994 - 7000+ California businesses for sale, 200 new listings daily) and the Director of the BizBen Network (16,000 business buyers, 4,000 small business owners, 1,800 California business brokers & agents). BizBen.com offers business buyers free online webinars/educational events, and phone consultations on the best way to find and buy a California small to mid-sized business. Business buyers can reach Peter Siegel direct at 866-270-6278.
Posted on June 7, 2011 | 
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