Manufacturing business or factory for sale in Spain: prices, permits, staff and what to check

An operating manufacturing business in Spain is typically listed at about €750,000: half of 22 priced listings in October 2026 ask between €360,000 and €1.75m, roughly 4–5 years of pre-tax profit.

Buying the industrial building as well adds €410–1,000 per m². What matters most before paying is the environmental permit, soil, staff and key customers.

Looking at a manufacturing business or a factory for sale in Spain?

Below: what food, metalworking, packaging, printing and other plants are listed for, what the deal actually includes, what an industrial building costs to buy or rent, which environmental permits a plant needs and how they pass to a new owner, soil contamination, the industrial and food registers, staff under the sector’s collective agreement, equipment, energy, customers and grants.

The page includes a payback calculator with an illustrative food plant.

The general mechanics of a deal — shares or assets, transfer taxes, the notary, the foreign buyer — are covered in Buying a company in Spain: shares or assets; here we cover only what is different about a factory.

Olive groves that sell to a mill are covered in Farm for sale in Spain, and wine production in Winery for sale in Spain.

What a manufacturing business costs in Spain

We reviewed 24 listings of operating manufacturing businesses in Spain that were live in October 2026: 18 on Bizalia, placed between late 2023 and October 2026, and 6 on BusinessesForSale.

Bizalia shows price, turnover and profit as bands, so we take the midpoint of each band.

22 listings state a price: the median is €750,000, a quarter ask less than about €360,000 and a quarter more than €1.75m. These are asking prices: they usually come down in a deal.

How price relates to profit: in the 10 listings with pre-tax profit of €100,000 or more, a plant is priced at a median of 4.7 years of that profit, with a spread from 1.7 to almost 11 years.

The top of the range is either plants sold with their buildings or the crude midpoints of Bizalia’s bands.

One seller gives exact figures: a Catalan maker of automotive lighting parts with 25–50 staff reports 2025 turnover of €2,522,705 and EBITDA of €677,404 and asks €2.5–5m for its shares — 3.7 to 7.4 times EBITDA.

How sellers justify a multiple and what a buyer should recalculate is covered in How to value a business for sale; why EBITDA and profit are not the same number, in Revenue, income, profit and EBITDA.

Examples from the sample: a Madrid steel-structures company with 40 staff, a 10,000 m² site and about €5m turnover asks €10m for the company; a Palma window and door maker with €800,000 turnover asks €1,905,000 including about 1,360 m² of property; a Mallorca marine upholstery workshop with about 10 staff and just under €1m turnover — €650,000; a professional cleaning-chemicals maker near Valencia with 3 employees, €600,000 turnover and a rented 700 m² unit; a natural cosmetics plant of 415 m² near Madrid with 65 registered products — €100,000–250,000; a sheet-metal workshop in Catalonia with a CNC punch and press brake — under €100,000.

What is actually for sale

A factory deal is either the sale of the company that owns the plant or the sale of the production unit itself — lines, moulds, stock, customers and the trained staff — to your own company.

The second is common when the owner is retiring: the Barcelona lamp maker in our sample sells exactly that, “the production unit”, with no debts attached.

Only 4 of the 24 listings include the building; in the rest the plant sits in a rented unit, or the owner keeps the building and offers to let it to the buyer.

For a factory, the choice between shares and assets changes more than the tax.

In a share deal the permits, registrations and the environmental history stay with the company — including any soil contamination it caused.

In an asset deal your company becomes the new operator, so each permit and registration has to be transferred to it, and the employees pass to you anyway.

How the two structures compare on tax, debts and paperwork is set out in Buying a company in Spain.

The building: buy it or rent it

In October 2026, industrial units (naves) of 150 m² and more were listed for sale and to let at the following prices on pisos.com (the first three pages of results in each province):

The typical unit in these listings is 700–1,100 m². Within the city of Madrid prices are higher still: a median of about €1,230 per m² across 12 listings on Interempresas.

At these medians a let unit earns its owner 8–9% a year gross, so buying the building is a property investment in its own right, and it should be judged against rent, not against the business.

Environmental permits

Most of the permit risk in a factory purchase is environmental. Spain has a national regime for large installations and regional regimes for everything else.

• Integrated environmental authorisation (AAI). Since 2016 the regime has been set by RDL 1/2016, which replaced Ley 16/2002. An AAI is required for installations in its annex 1 — for food, processing more than 75 tonnes a day of finished product from animal raw materials or more than 300 tonnes a day from vegetable ones; metal or plastic surface treatment with vats over 30 m³; and surface treatment using more than 150 kg of organic solvents an hour or 200 tonnes a year. A small food, furniture or packaging plant is far below these thresholds; a large food plant, an electroplating line or a big paint shop is not. The holder of an AAI must notify the authority of a transfer of ownership (art. 5.d), and after definitive closure must assess the soil and groundwater and report the result (art. 23.2).
• Valencian Community. Ley 6/2014 has four regimes: AAI, an environmental licence (licencia ambiental), an environmental declaration and a notice for harmless activities (art. 13). A food plant processing more than 5 and up to 300 tonnes a day of vegetable raw materials, or more than 10 and up to 75 tonnes of animal ones, needs a licence (annex II, 9.2). After a sale the new holder must notify the change within a month, attaching the deed and accepting the conditions of the licence; for an AAI or a licence the authority issues a decision on the change (art. 16).
• Catalonia. Under Ley 20/2009, the same plant — up to 75 tonnes a day from animal raw materials, or up to 300 tonnes from vegetable ones with drying equipment of no more than 2 MW — needs only a notice (comunicació) to the town hall (annex III, 7.2). An authorisation or licence passes to a new holder by notice; if the transfer is not notified, the old and new holders are jointly liable for all its obligations (art. 64).

So a vegetable-preserves plant making, say, 20 tonnes a day opens on a simple notice outside Barcelona but needs a licence outside Valencia; below 5 tonnes a day it needs only a declaration or a notice in Valencia too.

When buying, ask for the permit itself, not just a statement that it exists: which activity and capacity it covers, whether the plant has grown since, and whether the conditions on emissions, waste water and noise are being met.

A plant that has quietly doubled its output may be operating outside its licence.

Soil contamination

Operators of activities listed in annex I of RD 9/2005 must file a preliminary soil report (informe preliminar de situación) with the region (art. 3.1) and further reports as the region requires, in particular when an activity is set up, enlarged or closed (art. 3.4); the landowner must also report when applying for a licence for a different activity or use (art. 3.5).

The list includes all metal-product manufacturing, chemicals, rubber products, vegetable and animal oils (except small olive mills) and furniture making that uses solvent-based paints over 1 tonne a year or has buried tanks.

Most other food production and plastics processing are not on the list.

Whoever transfers a property must declare in the deed whether a potentially contaminating activity was carried out on it, and the declaration is noted in the Land Registry (art. 98.3 Ley 7/2022).

For a buyer this has two consequences. If you buy the building, the declaration tells you what to investigate — and the clean-up obligation can follow the land.

If you buy the company that ran the plant, the past stays with it. For a metalworking or chemicals plant, a soil survey before signing costs little compared with a clean-up.

Industrial and food registers

• Industrial register. Industrial activity is free to set up, expand or move; a notice or declaration is needed only where a law requires one, for safety, health or the environment (art. 4 Ley 21/1992). The Registro Integrado Industrial is an information register kept by the state, alongside the regions’ own registers (arts. 21–22). In practice what you check is the plant’s regulated installations — high-voltage connection, boilers and pressure equipment, refrigeration, fire protection — and their registrations and periodic inspections.
• Food register (RGSEAA). Every food production, processing or packaging establishment is registered on the strength of a prior notice to the region giving the operator’s name and tax number (NIF), activity and address; establishments handling products of animal origin need an authorisation. Changes to these data and closure must be notified (RD 191/2011, arts. 2, 5 and 6). In an asset deal the operator’s NIF changes, so the registration has to be updated; for a meat or dairy plant, check that the authorisation itself covers the products you plan to make.

Staff and the collective agreement

The staff are the plant’s know-how, and they come with it.

In an asset deal the employees pass to the buyer with all their rights, seller and buyer are jointly liable for three years for employment debts arising before the transfer, and the collective agreement keeps applying until it expires (art. 44 ET); in a share deal the employer does not change at all.

Wages follow the sector’s collective agreement, which may be national or provincial. For a vegetable-preserves plant it is the national one.

Under its 2025 table, the latest we found published, monthly pay ranges from €1,579.96 at level 1.1 to €1,179.25 at level 1.13, paid 15 times a year: €23,699 and €17,689 a year.

Employer social security contributions add about a third. Seasonal workers on fixed-discontinuous contracts are paid by the hour.

Before buying, ask for a staff list with contracts, levels, seniority and bonuses, and for any open claims: a plant where most of the team is near retirement is a different business three years on.

Equipment, energy and customers

• Equipment on lease. Lines bought on finance lease (leasing) belong to the leasing company until the purchase option is exercised; equipment on renting never becomes the plant’s. In an asset deal each contract can pass to you only with the lessor’s consent, so get a list of what is owned, leased and rented — and price only what is owned.
• Energy. Check the electricity and gas contracts, the contracted power and the capacity of the connection. A plant that needs more power to grow may face months of waiting and the cost of extending the network. In a food plant, energy for sterilisation, steam and refrigeration is one of the largest costs after raw materials and staff.
• Customers. Private-label manufacturers often depend on two or three retail chains. Ask for revenue by customer for three years and read the supply contracts: their term, notice period and any change-of-control clause. In our illustrative plant below, losing one customer worth 30% of revenue turns the profit into a loss.

Grants: what comes with the factory

Many plants have modernised with public money — regional industrial aid, the national PERTE programmes from the EU recovery funds, ENISA participative loans or CDTI funding for innovation.

Assets bought with a grant must be used for its purpose for at least five years if they are registrable property and at least two years otherwise; selling them is grounds for repaying the grant, and the asset remains liable for the repayment whoever owns it, unless the buyer acquired it in good faith (art. 31.4 Ley 38/2003).

Ask which equipment was subsidised and when, and whether the company’s loans have change-of-control clauses.

How Spanish support programmes work is covered in Startup grants and support programmes in Spain and How to apply for a grant in Spain.

What a small food plant earns: an illustrative example

The calculator holds an illustrative plant making vegetable preserves, sauces and jams near Valencia, mostly under supermarkets’ own labels.

It rents a 1,500 m² unit and employs 14 people: 13 at levels 1.1 to 1.13 of the collective agreement and a plant manager on €45,000.

The price is €900,000 for the business plus €100,000 to overhaul the steriliser and lines and top up working capital.

Revenue is €150,000 a month excluding VAT (€1.8m a year), raw materials and packaging 52%, staff €32,000 a month with contributions, rent €5,500 a month, other costs €15,500 a month — energy, transport, maintenance, laboratory and food-safety certification, insurance, water and waste, trade fairs.

Pre-tax profit is €228,000 a year, or 12.7% of revenue; after corporate tax of 23% it is €175,560, and the €1m investment pays back in about 5.7 years.

The €900,000 price is 3.9 times pre-tax profit and half of annual revenue — within the range of our sample.

We left the building out of the price on purpose: in 20 of the 24 listings it is not included.

If you buy the unit as well — about €675,000 for 1,500 m² near Valencia at the median price — the rent disappears, pre-tax profit rises to €294,000, but payback stretches to about 7.4 years, because what you have added is property earning 9% gross.

Two caveats.

First, a plant has high fixed costs: if revenue falls by 10%, pre-tax profit drops from €228,000 to €141,600 and payback stretches to about 9 years; break-even is about €110,400 of revenue a month.

Second, raw-material prices: three percentage points more on raw materials and packaging cut pre-tax profit to €174,000.

How to read the payback figure is covered in Payback period, and how to size the cash a plant needs between buying raw materials and being paid by a supermarket, in Cash gap.

Taxes

• Corporate tax. In 2026 a company with previous-year turnover under €10m pays 23%; under €1m, 19% on the first €50,000 of profit and 21% above (transitional provision 44 of the Corporate Tax Act). Our illustrative plant pays 23%.
• VAT. Most food is sold at 10% (art. 91.Uno.1.1º Ley 37/1992), but alcoholic drinks and soft drinks or juices with added sugar or sweeteners are excluded and pay 21%; bread, bread flour, milk, cheese, eggs, natural fruit and vegetables and olive oil pay 4% (art. 91.Dos.1.1º). Non-food manufacturing pays the standard 21%.

What to check before buying a factory

1. Environmental permit. The permit itself, the activity and capacity it covers, whether output has grown since, and compliance with its conditions. In an asset deal, who notifies the transfer and when.
2. Soil. Whether the activity is on the RD 9/2005 list, the soil reports filed, and a survey before signing for metalworking, chemicals or oils.
3. Registers and installations. Industrial registrations and inspections of high-voltage, pressure, refrigeration and fire-protection installations; for food, the RGSEAA registration or authorisation and the latest official inspections.
4. Staff. Contracts, levels, seniority, bonuses and claims under the collective agreement; key people who carry the know-how and whether they stay.
5. Equipment and energy. What is owned, leased or rented; the condition and remaining life of the main lines; contracted power and connection capacity.
6. Customers and grants. Revenue by customer for three years, supply contracts and change-of-control clauses; subsidised assets still within their holding period.
7. A buyer from outside the EU. A buyer from outside the EU and EFTA — which now includes the UK — acquiring 10% or more of a company in a strategic sector, food security among them, needs prior authorisation; in most of these sectors companies with up to €5m turnover are exempt, and the decision takes up to three months (art. 7 bis Ley 19/2003; RD 571/2023, arts. 14 and 17).

How a company is reviewed before you sign — financial, tax, employment and legal — is described on our due diligence in Spain page; for a factory we add the permit, soil and installation checks above.

If you are moving to Spain for this business

A non-resident can buy a Spanish manufacturing company, but a non-EU citizen — including a British buyer since Brexit — can live in Spain and run it personally only with a residence permit, usually a self-employment permit, for one year at first.

The golden visa has been abolished, and the startup visa does not suit an ordinary business of this kind.

How the self-employment permit works and how it differs from an employment permit is covered by Relotus in «Cuenta propia in Spain».

The sensible order is to confirm the permit first and only then sign the purchase.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a manufacturing business cost in Spain?

In a sample of 24 listings live in October 2026, the median asking price is €750,000, with half between about €360,000 and €1.75m. Profitable plants are priced at about 4–5 years of pre-tax profit. Metalworking and machining companies ask more, a median of €1.25m. These are asking prices, before negotiation.

How much does a factory building cost in Spain?

Industrial units listed in October 2026 cost a median of €410–450 per m² in Murcia, Alicante and Valencia, about €730 in Barcelona province, €830 in Madrid province and €1,000 in Malaga. Rent is €2.5–3.5 per m² a month on the Mediterranean coast and €5–6 around Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga.

Do I need an environmental permit to run a factory in Spain?

Yes, but which one depends on the activity, its capacity and the region. Large plants need an integrated environmental authorisation; smaller ones need a regional licence, a declaration or only a notice. A vegetable-preserves plant making more than 5 tonnes a day needs a licence in the Valencian Community but only a notice in Catalonia.

Does the environmental permit transfer when I buy a factory?

In a share deal the company keeps its permits. In an asset deal the new operator must notify the authority: in the Valencian Community within a month of the sale, and in Catalonia an unnotified transfer leaves the old and new holders jointly liable.

What happens to the employees when you buy a factory?

They stay. In an asset deal they pass to the buyer with all their rights and the collective agreement keeps applying; in a share deal the employer does not change. Seller and buyer are jointly liable for three years for employment debts from before the deal.

Can a British buyer buy a Spanish food manufacturer?

Yes. Since Brexit a UK buyer is treated as non-EU, so acquiring 10% or more of a company in a strategic sector such as food security may need prior government authorisation; companies with up to €5m turnover are exempt in most of these sectors. To live in Spain and run the plant, a British buyer also needs a residence permit.

What is the payback period for a manufacturing business?

In our illustrative food plant with €1.8m revenue and 14 staff, a €1m investment pays back in about 5.7 years. A plant has high fixed costs, so a 10% fall in revenue stretches payback to about 9 years.

Key points about buying a manufacturing business in Spain

• Operating plants are listed at a median of €750,000, about 4.7 years of pre-tax profit for profitable ones; metalworking asks more.
• The building is included in only 4 of 24 listings; an industrial unit costs €410–1,000 per m² to buy, or €2.5–6 a month to rent.
• The environmental regime depends on the activity, capacity and region, and in an asset deal it has to be transferred; check the soil if the activity is on the RD 9/2005 list.
• The staff and the collective agreement come with the plant; so do subsidised assets still within their holding period.
• Revenue concentration, leased equipment and contracted power decide whether the plant can grow — in the illustrative example payback is about 5.7 years.

Sources

• RDL 1/2016 (integrated pollution prevention and control) — BOE; Ley 6/2014 of the Valencian Community — BOE; Ley 20/2009 of Catalonia — BOE.
• RD 9/2005 (potentially soil-contaminating activities) — BOE; Ley 7/2022 (waste and contaminated soils), art. 98 — BOE.
• Ley 21/1992 (industry) — BOE; RD 191/2011 (food business register) — BOE.
• Workers’ Statute, art. 44 — BOE; national collective agreement for vegetable preserves, 2025 pay table — BOE.
• Ley 38/2003 (grants), art. 31 — BOE; Corporate Tax Act (Ley 27/2014) — BOE; Ley 37/1992 (VAT) — BOE; Ley 19/2003, art. 7 bis — BOE; RD 571/2023 (foreign investment) — BOE.
• Listings of manufacturing businesses for sale — Bizalia, BusinessesForSale; industrial units for sale and to let — pisos.com, Interempresas, October 2026.