Batteries Expert blends specialty retail — a very large range of battery SKUs across consumer electronics, automotive, marine, and small-engine categories — with an in-store repair counter for phones and tablets. That combination means a resale involves two distinct diligence tracks most retail franchises don't: inventory across an unusually wide range of battery types, and how used batteries have been collected and disposed of, since spent batteries are regulated waste in Ontario.
Batteries Expert resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
The offer sets price and structure, conditioned on franchisor consent and a review of the store's inventory range and repair-service backlog.
1–2 weeks†The franchisor reviews the proposed buyer and may exercise a right of first refusal before the sale can proceed.
several weeks, typically†A franchise disclosure document may still be required for this resale — Ontario courts read the resale exemption narrowly, so franchisor involvement in the sale can trigger it even where it's called a private deal.
assessed early†Getting to closing
The retail lease needs landlord consent to assign, alongside a check that used battery collection and disposal has followed Ontario's regulated-waste requirements.
2–6 weeks†Device-repair work requires its own brand-specific training distinct from battery retail, so the incoming owner or technicians typically complete it before or shortly after taking over.
1–3 weeks†Funds and keys change hands, inventory is counted, and the franchisor confirms the transfer is complete.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA Look For A Franchise listing confirms an established Canadian franchise network, CFA member since 2007, in business since 1964
Ontario stores among its established Canadian battery-retail franchise network (provincial breakdown not published)
This is the first real decision in a Batteries Expert resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The store's assets — a wide-ranging battery inventory, repair equipment and tools, leasehold improvements, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent. | The shares of the operating company — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Franchise agreement | Consent required for the specific unit, often paired with a current-form agreement. | Consent required for the change of control itself. |
| Battery inventory & disposal | Inventory spans a wide range of battery types and sizes, which makes a straightforward count-and-value harder than for a narrower retail category, and used-battery disposal records are worth reviewing given Ontario's regulated-waste rules. | Disposal practices attach to the corporation's history, so past handling matters even more on a share sale. |
| Repair work in progress | Devices left for repair and any outstanding warranty claims on completed repairs need to be clearly accounted for at closing. | These obligations generally come with the company on a share sale, including any unresolved warranty claims. |
| The lease | Needs the landlord's written consent to assign — most locations are retail plaza or strip-mall units. | Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
The store's assets — a wide-ranging battery inventory, repair equipment and tools, leasehold improvements, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent.
The shares of the operating company — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Consent required for the specific unit, often paired with a current-form agreement.
Consent required for the change of control itself.
Inventory spans a wide range of battery types and sizes, which makes a straightforward count-and-value harder than for a narrower retail category, and used-battery disposal records are worth reviewing given Ontario's regulated-waste rules.
Disposal practices attach to the corporation's history, so past handling matters even more on a share sale.
Devices left for repair and any outstanding warranty claims on completed repairs need to be clearly accounted for at closing.
These obligations generally come with the company on a share sale, including any unresolved warranty claims.
Needs the landlord's written consent to assign — most locations are retail plaza or strip-mall units.
Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single Batteries Expert store changing hands between one buyer and one seller, with a straightforward lease and a clean battery-disposal record.
Start my file →A multi-store operator adding a location to an existing portfolio, or a resale where outstanding repair warranty claims need to be resolved before terms are final.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Yes — spent lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries fall under Ontario's regulated-waste framework, so how a store has collected and disposed of them is a reasonable thing to check during diligence, even though it's a narrower issue than the environmental exposure a full-service auto shop might carry.
It typically comes down to a physical count against the store's own point-of-sale records, category by category, since the sheer range of SKUs — from phone batteries to marine batteries — makes a single blanket estimate unreliable.
Yes — repair work carries its own training requirement, ongoing warranty obligations on completed repairs, and devices currently in for service that need to be tracked and handed over cleanly, all separate from the retail inventory count.
Not necessarily going in — the franchisor's training covers device-repair techniques directly — but a technician or manager who already holds that skill set makes the transition smoother, especially if repair work is a meaningful share of the store's revenue.
Possibly. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can be enough to trigger a full disclosure requirement even where the deal is framed as a private resale.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by Batteries Expert or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Batteries Expert resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.