Regional guide · Sunshine Coast
Business broker, Sunshine Coast and Noosa
Tony Pope works from Gumdale in the Brisbane City Council area, so he is not from the Sunshine Coast and will not claim to be. This page sets out what the ABS, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Unitywater and the Queensland Government publish about selling a business here, from Caloundra, Kawana and Maroochydore through Nambour, Yandina and the Glass House Mountains to Noosaville, Noosa Heads and Cooroy.
Every figure on this page is sourced and dated. Where a figure is not published for this region, the page says so. Last updated 15 September 2026.
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Check it yourself
What is different about selling a business on the Sunshine Coast or in Noosa?
The Sunshine Coast and Noosa are two councils and two economies. Sunshine Coast held 39,239 actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, up 2.9 per cent over the year. Noosa held 8,016, up 0.6 per cent. So growth, buyer depth and seasonality change as you cross that boundary. Your trade waste permit sits with Unitywater, not a council, and it does not transfer.
What Sunshine Coast actually runs on
| Industry division | Businesses | Share of the base | Against Queensland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 8,204 | 21.5% | 1.26 |
| Education and training | 740 | 1.9% | 1.25 |
| Arts and recreation services | 628 | 1.6% | 1.18 |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,459 | 9.1% | 1.14 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 4,784 | 12.5% | 1.08 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 5,106 | 13.4% | 1.08 |
| Manufacturing | 1,470 | 3.9% | 1.07 |
| Retail trade | 2,304 | 6.0% | 1.05 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,485 | 3.9% | 1.00 |
| Other services | 2,089 | 5.5% | 0.98 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 1,679 | 4.4% | 0.57 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1,238 | 3.2% | 0.40 |
Counts are for the Sunshine Coast local government area at 30 June 2024, from ABS Data by Region drawing on Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2021 to June 2025, released 26 August 2025; the index compares the Sunshine Coast share of businesses with the Queensland share across 509,275 businesses, ABS perturbs small cells so the divisions sum to 38,145 against a published total of 38,141, the separate Noosa Shire table sits below in the council section, and this is a count of businesses on the register, not a count of businesses that were sold.
Where the businesses actually are
The centres that hold the business base across the Coast and Noosa, and the industries that carry them.
Where the businesses actually are on the Sunshine Coast, 1,873 words, on its own page.
Local knowledge
What I know about this market that a data table does not carry
What sells well on the Sunshine Coast
Businesses that genuinely run without eighty hour weeks. That sounds obvious and it is the single thing that separates the businesses attracting multiple offers from the ones that sit. A large share of buyers here are relocating for lifestyle reasons, and they pay properly for documented systems, a team that stays and recurring revenue. They discount heavily for a business that is really just the owner working hard.
The sectors I know best here
Trades and home services across Caloundra, Maroochydore, Buderim and the hinterland. Construction and civil supporting continued residential growth. Food production, packing and light manufacturing through the Kunda Park and Coolum industrial areas. Transport and distribution. E-commerce and retail. Window furnishings, blinds, shutters and interiors serving a market with high residential turnover.
The health precinct changed the buyer profile
The hospital precinct at Birtinya and the professional services that followed it have broadened the economy and brought a different buyer to the region, being one with capital, corporate experience and an appetite for a business rather than a job. That group is genuinely good news for owners of well systemised businesses, and it is the group least reachable by an advertisement.
Preparation is what separates the outcomes
The gap between a Sunshine Coast business sold as it stands and one prepared over twelve to twenty four months is routinely the largest number in the whole transaction. Reducing owner dependence, spreading customer concentration, building contracted revenue and cleaning up the records are all slow work, which is the whole argument for having the conversation early rather than the week you decide you have had enough.
Where this sits
Sunshine Coast is part of South East Queensland, one of nine Queensland regions covered. See all of Queensland, or read how a business is actually priced.
Questions people ask
3 of the 19 answered in full on the questions page for this topic.
Does my trade waste permit pass to the buyer?
No, and the counterparty is not your council. Unitywater is the water and sewerage service provider for the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, and its published position is that there are no refunds or part refunds on any permit issued and that permits are not transferable.
I am selling a cafe in Noosa. How long does the food licence take?
Plan on 30 business days, which is roughly six calendar weeks. Noosa Shire Council requires a food business licence application for a new licensee for an existing business, that is, a takeover, lodged at least 30 business days before the day the buyer plans to operate.
Does my footpath dining area come with the business?
Not on the Sunshine Coast. Council states that you will be required to apply for a new footpath trading application when you take over the business. Approval is required where tables or chairs are provided on public land for outdoor dining, or where an area is made available to the public to consume food or drinks.
Questions owners in Sunshine Coast ask, all 19 of them.
Go deeper
The long form, where it belongs
The full detail is on the pages below, each on its own page.
Check it yourself12 primary sources
Primary sources, none of them affiliated with me and none of them endorsing this site. Where anything here differs from an official source, the official source is right.
Ask what it is worth
Free, in writing, and nobody finds out you asked. Tell me the trade and the suburb and I will do the rest.
Nobody finds out you are selling. This goes to me only, into my own database in Sydney. I will not contact your accountant, your landlord, your bank or your staff, ever, unless you ask me to.
If you would rather not put anything in writing yet, ring 0431 124 128. Prefer to pick a time yourself? Book a time in my diary.
Find out what your Sunshine Coast business is worth
Thirty minutes, on the phone or in person, at a time that suits you including evenings. You will get a straight read on where the business sits today and what would move the number. It costs nothing, there is no obligation, and nobody finds out you asked.