Burnaby’s franchise resale trade centres on Metrotown and the city’s other retail nodes, where mall-format food-service and retail units sit alongside a lighter industrial and warehousing base. A cluster of film and production-services businesses adds a few specialty catering and equipment-adjacent franchise categories to the mix. BC’s Franchises Act carries its own narrow resale exemption, so whether disclosure applies to a Burnaby resale gets confirmed at intake rather than assumed.
Burnaby franchise resales, in the full business-sale context.
A Burnaby franchise resale most often means a mall-format food-service or retail unit inside Metrotown or one of the city’s other retail centres, where an institutional mall landlord runs a formal tenant-mix and credit-review process before consenting to any assignment — a step that can move on its own schedule, separate from the franchisor’s. Outside the malls, light-industrial plazas and studio-adjacent commercial space host a smaller set of service and catering-adjacent franchise units with more directly negotiated leases. Single-location ownership is the norm; where an operator holds more than one unit, it’s usually a mall location paired with a nearby plaza rather than a large group. The franchisor’s own consent, typically with a right of first refusal attached, has to clear alongside the landlord’s sign-off, and PST at 7% applies to the tangible equipment on an asset-sale resale.
Getting approved
Buyer and seller agree on price and key terms for the specific location, usually with a site visit and a first look at the lease built into the conditions from the start.
usually 1–2 weeks†The buyer applies formally to the franchisor — financials, experience, and background — while the franchisor decides whether to approve the transfer or exercise a right of first refusal instead.
3–8 weeks, often the critical path†A franchise disclosure document may still be required — British Columbia's Franchises Act has its own resale exemption, read narrowly, so this gets confirmed early rather than assumed.
assessed early, runs in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord consent to assign the lease into the buyer's name runs alongside the franchisor's own review. In Burnaby, a mall landlord’s own tenant-mix approval can move on a slower internal schedule than the franchisor’s consent, so both get opened the same week the deal goes conditional.
2–6 weeks†The incoming owner, or a designated manager, typically completes the franchisor's operator training before or shortly after taking over the location.
1–3 weeks†Funds, keys, and the transfer paperwork change hands, with an equipment and inventory count settled the same day.
1 day, once conditions are met†This is the first real decision in a Burnaby franchise resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise agreement & ROFR | Typically re-issued or assigned to the buyer for this specific location, subject to franchisor consent and any right of first refusal. | Generally stays in place — the franchisor's consent to the change of control is still required. |
| Lease | Assigned into the buyer's name with landlord consent. | Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Tax angle | A stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; a GST s.167 election may apply, and BC PST can apply to some purchased assets. | Cost base carries over from the seller, who may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying small business shares. |
| Staff | Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply. | Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change. |
Typically re-issued or assigned to the buyer for this specific location, subject to franchisor consent and any right of first refusal.
Generally stays in place — the franchisor's consent to the change of control is still required.
Assigned into the buyer's name with landlord consent.
Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
A stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; a GST s.167 election may apply, and BC PST can apply to some purchased assets.
Cost base carries over from the seller, who may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying small business shares.
Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply.
Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Every figure below traces to a named public source — no estimates, no filler.
†Typical patterns across British Columbia deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
Sector by sector, the resale brands we handle most often — every deal is confirmed on its own facts regardless of brand.
Quick-Service & Fast Food
Business Services
Automotive
Pizza
Coffee & Bakery
Education & Tutoring
Health & Beauty
Senior & Home Care
Real Estate Services
Cleaning
Fitness
Pet Care
Mall landlords typically run their own tenant-mix and credit-review process before consenting to an assignment, and that internal review doesn’t always move at the same pace as the franchisor’s own approval. We flag which kind of landlord is involved at intake so both clocks get planned for.
Single-location ownership is the norm. Where an operator does hold more than one unit, it’s typically a mall location paired with a nearby plaza rather than a larger multi-unit group.
A handful — catering, equipment-rental and other production-services businesses have grown up around the city’s studio and soundstage industry, and some operate under franchise or licensed banners. Those leases can carry their own supply or service-contract terms worth reviewing early.
Sometimes. BC’s Franchises Act exempts a grant by a franchisee from disclosure only within narrow conditions — the reselling franchisee acting for their own account, without the franchisor effecting or directing the transfer. Where a mall landlord’s process draws the franchisor further into vetting the incoming operator, disclosure can still be required, so we assess it at intake on every Burnaby resale.
Generally yes, on an asset sale — used tangible assets like kitchen or retail equipment are taxable at 7% PST unless an exemption applies, while goodwill and the franchise rights sit outside it. It’s a predictable line once the purchase-price allocation is set.
BC’s Employment Standards Act treats employment as continuous when a business is sold, so a Burnaby unit’s staff carry their service history to the new owner for notice and severance purposes. That history belongs in the deal math whether the crew came with a mall unit or a plaza location.
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 mall-format or plaza franchise unit in Burnaby changing hands between an outgoing and incoming owner-operator, with one lease and one franchisor consent.
Start my file →A Burnaby operator pairing a Metrotown-area unit with a nearby plaza location, or a resale where the mall landlord’s own tenant-mix review runs alongside the franchisor’s approval.
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.
We are an independent law firm and are not affiliated with any franchisor.
Tell us about your Burnaby franchise resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.