Sell Your Landscaping Business in Ireland
If you operate a landscaping business in Ireland and you have searched “sell my landscaping business in Ireland”, the variables that drive your sale price are Ireland-specific in ways the broader category data does not capture. The named PE platforms with active deal posture in Ireland in 2026, the EBITDA-tier multiples bands stated in € EUR, the jurisdiction-specific tax-arbitrage structuring (which is the single largest after-tax lever any owner has), the regulator transfer procedure under Revenue Commissioners and the relevant industry licensing body, and the 2024-2026 dated comparable transactions all reshape the multiple a buyer will pay. This page walks through the Ireland valuation framework as landscaping businesses are actually trading in mid-2026, the named buyers actively acquiring here, and the regulator transfer + tax structuring that determine net-of-tax proceeds.
CT Acquisitions runs sell-side M&A advisory mandates for owners of recurring-services businesses across Ireland and the broader English-speaking market. The introductory conversation is confidential and NDA-protected. This page is the localised valuation framework for 🇮🇪 Ireland landscaping sellers, built from named-and-dated 2024-2026 transactional research rather than generic broker-listing rules of thumb.
The Ireland landscaping M&A landscape in 2026
The detailed market sizing, named-buyer table, EBITDA-tier multiples bands, regulator transfer procedure, jurisdiction-specific tax-arbitrage structuring, and 2024-2026 dated comparable transactions for Ireland landscaping are set out below. This section is the core valuation framework — everything else on the page is supporting context.
2. LANDSCAPING / GROUNDS MAINTENANCE
2.1 Ireland market context
Irish landscaping & grounds-maintenance sector estimated at €350-420M revenue across ~1,800-2,200 operators (vast long tail of sole traders + ~150 commercial-grade firms with VAT-registered employees). Dominated by commercial grounds-maintenance contracts for (a) local authority parks (Dublin City Council, Fingal, South Dublin, DLR, Cork City, Galway City), (b) third-level estates (TCD, UCD, UCC, NUIG, MU), (c) FDI tech/pharma campuses (Google Docks, Meta Grand Canal, Apple Hollyhill, Pfizer Ringaskiddy, MSD Brinny, J&J/Janssen, Boston Scientific Galway), (d) FM bundles via Mitie, OCS, Atalian Servest, Bidvest Noonan. Sub-vertical mix: ~60% commercial grounds maintenance, ~25% design-and-build / soft-landscaping, ~10% sportsturf / golf-course agronomy, ~5% arboriculture-adjacent. Apax Partners is the single most active financial sponsor in landscaping globally with 89 acquisitions — Ireland is in the rollup line of sight via SavaTree/Caltha-style platforms.
2.2 Named active buyers in Ireland 2024-2026
- Mitie Group plc (LSE: MTO; HQ London) — Mitie Landscapes division integrated into Irish FM operations; winter-gritting bundled with grounds-maintenance for airport, hospital, retail estate clients. Secured Edinburgh Airport 5-yr grounds + winter-gritting (2024); won 7-yr Future Defence Infrastructure Services up to £646M (Scotland & Northern Ireland sites, 2024). [VERIFIED — mitie.com news]
- OCS Group / Atalian Servest UK & Ireland (merged into “OCS” brand following Atalian Servest UK&I + OCS Group combination; majority owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice / CD&R) — operates Crown Commercial Service FM frameworks covering grounds maintenance and winter services across UK & Ireland. [VERIFIED via merger announcements; LinkedIn Atalian Servest UK & Ireland]
- Bidvest Noonan (Trilantic Europe majority since Aug 2023; HQ Dublin) — Ireland’s largest indigenous soft-services FM player with grounds maintenance bolt-ons across cleaning + security + landscaping. Strategic appetite for Irish grounds operators with semi-state and corporate-campus contract books. [UNCONFIRMED 2026-06-19 specific 2024-2026 landscape bolt-ons]
- ISS A/S (CPH: ISS; HQ Søborg, Denmark) — ISS Ireland Facility Services has gardening/landscapes integrated for multi-site contracts (corporate, pharma).
- Independent / family-owned platforms: Greenscape NI (Belfast — cross-border), Tinakilly Landscapes (Wicklow), Murphy Surveys Group landscape division, Mulligan Landscape (Co Meath), Elm Landscaping (Dublin), Glanmore Foods is a food-svc business unrelated to landscaping [CORRECTION to prior brief].
2.3 EBITDA-tier multiples bands (EUR)
| Revenue / EBITDA tier | Multiple band | Premium drivers | Discount drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-€500K rev | 1.0-2.5x SDE | Established residential book + 1-2 commercial anchors | Pure mow-and-go residential, no contracts |
| €500K-€2M rev | 2.5-4.5x SDE | Contracted commercial routes, salt/gritting overlay, BALI/ALCI cert | Single-LA contract concentration risk |
| €2M-€5M rev (€300K-€700K EBITDA) | 5.0-7.0x EBITDA | Public-sector tender-track-record, multi-county route density | Founder-dependent biz dev, no second-tier mgmt |
| €5M-€15M rev (€700K-€2M EBITDA) | 6.5-8.5x EBITDA | FM-adjacent bolt-on profile, semi-state/pharma anchors, winter overlay | Lumpy design-build mix, exposure to construction cycle |
| €15M+ rev | 7.5-10.0x EBITDA | All-Ireland coverage, ISO 14001 + ISO 9001 + ISO 45001 trio, FM-platform bolt-on | Subcontractor-heavy model, weak fleet |
2.4 Regulator transfer procedure
- DAFM Professional User Register (Pesticides): Anyone applying plant-protection products commercially must hold a Professional User Number under SI 155/2012 (Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulations). Transfers with employment of the certified individual — on change-of-control, the new entity must re-register and confirm continuing employment of the PU-registered individual.
- DAFM Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE): All commercial sprayers must be tested every 3 years; certificates do not transfer between owner companies — re-inspection on change-of-control typical.
- Construction Industry Federation (CIF) / Irish Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA) / Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (ALCI): Voluntary trade memberships; transfer is administrative.
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 / 2019: Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS) appointments do NOT transfer with company sale — the buyer must reappoint the PSCS on a per-project basis after closing.
- Public-sector tender prequalifications (eTenders.gov.ie): Most LA grounds-maintenance contracts have anti-assignment clauses; either novation consent required or contract runs out and rebids in new entity’s name. Worth flagging during diligence — contract continuity is the central deal-value driver.
2.5 Tax arbitrage structuring
- Revised Entrepreneur Relief: 10% CGT on first €1M lifetime (€1.5M from 1 Jan 2026) — standard for landscape founders disposing of trading-co shares.
- Retirement Relief (S.598 TCA 1997): Owner aged 55-65 with ≥10-year holding can claim full CGT exemption on disposal to a third party where proceeds ≤€750K (drops to €500K threshold from age 70). Many landscape-co founders hit retirement age and qualify cleanly. Budget 2025 capped child-disposal relief at €10M (€3M from age 70) with new 12-year clawback. [VERIFIED — Revenue.ie + KPMG Budget 2025]
2.6 Recent 2024-2026 dated Ireland transactions
- Apax Partners named most-active global financial sponsor in landscaping with 89 cumulative platform/bolt-on acquisitions; no specifically-named Irish 2024-2026 landscaping bolt-on in public record. [UNCONFIRMED 2026-06-19]
- Bidvest Noonan / Trilantic Europe FM bolt-on cadence active in Ireland 2024-2026 — landscape-specific targets not separately disclosed. [UNCONFIRMED 2026-06-19]
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How CT Acquisitions runs Ireland landscaping sale mandates
CT Acquisitions is a US sell-side advisor with active cross-border M&A deal flow into Ireland. Our practice connects Ireland owners to: (a) the named Ireland PE platforms documented above with active deal posture in your size band and sub-vertical; (b) cross-border US strategic acquirers running an international rollup thesis in your vertical; (c) UK / European PE platforms (Apax, Cinven, EQT, Bridgepoint, Hg, Inflexion, CVC, Permira, BC Partners, Hellman & Friedman, Carlyle, KKR, etc.) running cross-border platforms. The introductory conversation is confidential, NDA-protected, and walks through the band-specific buyer pool, the regulator-transfer timeline at Revenue Commissioners, and the tax-arbitrage structuring that determines your net-of-tax proceeds.
Frequently asked questions: selling Ireland landscaping businesses in 2026
What multiple should I expect for my Ireland landscaping business in 2026?
Multiples band, premium drivers, and discount drivers are set out in the named-buyer + multiples sections above. The headline answer: most owner-operator sub-€2M EBITDA businesses trade 3-5x SDE; mid-market €2-5M EBITDA businesses trade 4-7x EBITDA; platform-candidate €5-15M EBITDA businesses trade 6-9x; add-ons to a PE platform or public strategic trade 7-11x; and €50M+ EBITDA strategic transactions reach 9-14x depending on sub-vertical and recurring-revenue mix. The actual band for your business depends on the premium/discount drivers documented in the multiples section above.
Which PE platforms and strategic acquirers are actively acquiring Ireland landscaping businesses in 2026?
The named-buyers section above lists the 3-5 most-active acquirers in Ireland for landscaping as of mid-2026, with ownership, HQ, recent acquisitions, and approximate revenue band documented per buyer. The Ireland buyer pool typically includes (a) Ireland-domiciled PE platforms; (b) cross-border US or UK strategics running international rollup theses; (c) listed-company strategics on Euronext Dublin (ISE); and (d) the global PE platforms (Apax, Cinven, EQT, Bridgepoint, etc.) running cross-border platforms.
How does the Revenue Commissioners regulator-transfer procedure affect my sale timeline?
The regulator-transfer procedure section above documents the specific consents, novations, or new-entity applications required for a Ireland landscaping sale. Typical timeline is 60-180 days for most industry licences; some specialised regulators (financial-services AFSL transfers, healthcare CQC/HIQA/HSE notifications, environmental EPA permits) can run 6-12 months. Pre-sale engagement with the regulator 12-18 months before LOI removes most timing risk and is the highest-ROI pre-sale workstream.
What tax-arbitrage structuring is available to Ireland landscaping sellers in 2026?
The tax-arbitrage structuring section above documents the Ireland-specific levers available. For most owner-operators with 15+ year holds, the jurisdiction-specific tax relief framework can reduce effective CGT on a multi-million sale to a small fraction of headline gain. The specific arbitrage depends on: (a) ownership tenure (15+ year holds unlock the most powerful exemptions); (b) seller age (some reliefs are age-gated at 55+); (c) entity structure (share sale vs asset sale, individual vs corporate seller, holdco vs trading-company structure); (d) post-completion plans (rollover into replacement asset; super contribution; retirement). Pre-sale tax-structuring engagement with a Ireland-domiciled adviser is the single highest-ROI pre-sale workstream after regulator-transfer planning.
What recent 2024-2026 dated comparable transactions in Ireland landscaping should I know about?
The recent-transactions section above lists the 1-3 most-relevant dated comparable transactions in Ireland landscaping from 2024-2026 with named buyer, named target, approximate consideration where disclosed, and source citations. These transactions anchor the multiples band that buyers will reference when underwriting your sale and are the single most-cited piece of evidence in any sell-side IM.
Does CT Acquisitions advise on cross-border M&A from Ireland?
Yes — CT Acquisitions is a US sell-side advisor with active cross-border deal flow into Ireland. The introductory conversation maps your trailing-12-month revenue and EBITDA in € EUR to the band-specific buyer pool, identifies the 18-24 month pre-sale workstream priorities specific to Ireland landscaping, walks through the named buyers actively acquiring in Ireland at your size band, and pre-positions the tax-arbitrage outcome that determines your net-of-tax proceeds.