5 Best Businesses to Buy on the Sunshine Coast (High-Growth Opportunities in 2026)

The Sunshine Coast is one of Queensland’s most active business markets, with strong buyer demand and growing industries — but not all opportunities are equal.  We can help you avoid low-performing or oversaturated businesses.

The Sunshine Coast economy is sizeable and still growing, with Gross Regional Product estimated at $29.08 billion, around 5.49% of Queensland’s GSP. The region’s fundamentals remain strong: population growth, infrastructure investment, tourism demand, and lifestyle migration are all supporting small business demand. CBRE’s 2025 report described the Coast as one of Australia’s “dynamic and resilient regional economies”, with strong demand across property sectors.

1. Hospitality Businesses

Hospitality is being supported by tourism, population growth and new residential communities, but operators are still exposed to wages, rent, food costs and seasonal trade. The strongest buyer interest is likely to sit with venues that have clean financials, stable staffing, strong local repeat trade and reduced owner dependency.

A major real-world signal is Redcape’s $80 million acquisition of Maeva Hospitality’s Queensland pub assets, including Sunshine Coast venues such as Bli Bli Hotel, Baringa Tavern, Parklands Tavern and Brightwater Hotel. The portfolio reportedly generated more than $63 million in annual turnover, showing strong institutional appetite for well-located hospitality assets in growth corridors.

Original insight: for smaller cafés, restaurants and bars, buyers will not just pay for “location” anymore. They will pay for operational proof: documented systems, staff retention, margins, supplier discipline, lease security and evidence the business can trade without the owner working full-time.

These businesses benefit from:

• Tourism
• Lifestyle-driven customers
• Strong local population growth

2. Health & Wellness Businesses

Health is one of the Sunshine Coast’s strongest structural sectors. Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employing industry in the wider Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast employment region, and the five largest industries include Health Care and Social Assistance plus Accommodation and Food Services. Locally, Sunshine Coast employment data shows Health Care and Social Assistance represented 19.3% of local worker jobs, higher than Queensland’s 15.4%.

This supports demand for allied health, wellness clinics, physiotherapy, psychology, beauty, massage, Pilates, gyms, recovery, longevity and lifestyle-based health services.

Buyer trend: health and wellness buyers tend to prefer recurring revenue, practitioner retention, referral networks, memberships, NDIS/private health exposure, and strong local reputation. Businesses that depend heavily on the founder-practitioner will usually face more buyer concern unless the team and systems are transferable.

Opportunities include:

• Gyms and fitness studios
• Allied health services
• Wellness centres

3. Tourism & Accommodation

The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s strongest regional tourism markets. TEQ’s Sunshine Coast snapshot tracks domestic and international visitation, visitor nights and spend, and the region has recently been described as a top-five regional tourism destination, welcoming close to 10 million visitors in the prior year.

Accommodation performance is positive. In April 2025, Queensland commercial accommodation recorded 68.5% occupancy, $260.36 ADR, and $178.34 RevPAR, all up year-on-year, with the Sunshine Coast among regions achieving steady or stronger occupancy, ADR and RevPAR.

Buyer trend: accommodation buyers are looking for assets with multiple income streams: rooms, cabins, food and beverage, events, weddings, wellness retreats, glamping or expansion land. A real example is G’day Group’s acquisition of Habitat Noosa Everglades EcoCamp, which has 300+ accommodation options, a bar/bistro, microbrewery, nature-based experiences, 65,000+ annual visitors and projected annual economic benefits near $40 million.

Popular opportunities:

• Holiday accommodation
• Tour operations
• Experience-based businesses

4. Trades & Service Businesses

With ongoing development, trades and service businesses are in high demand.

Examples:

• Electrical and plumbing
• Cleaning services
• Property maintenance

5. Retail & Lifestyle Businesses

Boutique retail and lifestyle-focused businesses continue to perform well in key coastal areas.

Why the Sunshine Coast Is Attractive

The Sunshine Coast is not just a holiday market anymore. It is becoming a mixed economy driven by lifestyle migration, healthcare demand, tourism, infrastructure, events and higher-value residential growth. That is good news for business owners considering an exit, but buyers are becoming more selective.

The best-positioned businesses are those that can show: clear profit after normalised owner wages, stable staff and documented systems, strong lease terms or property security, digital visibility and quality reviews, repeat customers rather than one-off seasonal sales,and a believable growth story.

Final Thoughts

The Sunshine Coast offers diverse opportunities for buyers looking to invest in a growing and lifestyle-driven market.

If you're considering purchasing, working with a business broker Sunshine Coast can help you find the right opportunity and navigate the process.

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