Most route listings show you gross revenue and ask you to trust a price. But the industry values routes using a weekly revenue multiplier — typically 12x to 22x weekly sales depending on the route type, how the revenue is trending, and how motivated the seller is.
This calculator applies those multipliers with adjustments for territory strength and seller situation to give you a fair value range before you write a check.
Route brokers, buyers, and sellers in the DSD industry have settled on a simple framework: routes are worth a multiple of their weekly gross revenue. A bread route doing $8,000 a week that sells for $160,000 has sold at a 20× multiplier.
The multiplier varies by route type because different categories have different margin structures and risk profiles. Snack routes (Frito-Lay, Herr's) typically trade at lower multiples than bread routes because the margins are thinner and the stale/damage risk is higher. Beverage routes can command higher multiples when the territory is locked and the volume is consistent.
Three factors adjust the multiplier: territory strength (an expiring agreement destroys value), revenue trend (a growing route is worth more than a declining one), and seller motivation (a retiring seller isn't desperate and will hold price). This calculator applies those adjustments to give you a realistic range to negotiate from.
A route with 3 years of consistent growth commands a premium. A route with declining weekly numbers — even good weekly numbers — signals risk. Always ask for 52-week averages, not peak data.
How many years are left on the distribution agreement? An expiring territory drastically reduces value — you could lose the route entirely when it comes up for renewal. Get the contract before making an offer.
A route with 40 large grocery accounts is worth more than one with 120 small convenience stores doing the same revenue. Concentration risk matters — how many accounts represent 80% of revenue?
High stale product rates compress your net margin even when gross revenue looks good. Ask the seller for their stale percentage over the last 12 months before doing any math on take-home pay.
Valuation tells you whether the asking price makes sense. The profitability calculator tells you what you'll actually earn after COGS, fuel, vehicle costs, insurance, stale product, self-employment taxes, and loan payments.
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