Markham's franchise resale market runs along the Highway 7 and Woodbine corridors, where retail and restaurant franchise units serve both the city's dense tech and advanced-manufacturing workforce and one of the GTA's most diverse consumer populations, from mainstream quick-service brands to formats built around the city's large Asian retail and dining plazas.
Markham franchise resales, in the full business-sale context.
Markham's franchise base splits between conventional national quick-service and retail brands along Highway 7 and the Woodbine corridor, serving office and tech-corridor workers on weekdays, and a distinct cluster of restaurant and retail franchise formats catering to the city's large Chinese and South Asian communities, concentrated around its busiest Highway 7-corridor plazas. That mix means a buyer should evaluate a specific location against its actual customer base rather than assume every Markham unit performs the same way. Multi-unit ownership is common among operators serving the city's diverse retail landscape, and established plaza landlords are generally experienced with franchise lease assignments given how many franchise brands operate here.
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 — Ontario courts read the resale exemption 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 Markham, this is typically where franchisor consent moves quickly given how many brands already operate here, with landlord consent in the city's larger Highway 7-corridor plazas the more variable step.
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 Markham 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; an HST s.167 election may apply. | 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; an HST s.167 election may apply.
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 Ontario 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
It supports a broader mix than many GTA markets — alongside conventional national franchise brands, Markham has a strong base of restaurant and retail formats built around its large Chinese and South Asian communities. We help you evaluate a location against the customer base it actually serves.
It's one of the busiest, given the office and tech-corridor workforce nearby, but Markham's franchise base extends well beyond that single corridor into neighbourhood plazas across the city.
Yes — given how many franchise brands operate across the city's diverse retail landscape, it's common for an operator to hold several locations, and each typically needs its own franchisor consent even when sold together.
Locations near the city's technology and advanced-manufacturing office clusters often see stronger weekday lunch and daytime traffic, which is useful context for reviewing a unit's revenue history.
It's usually landlord consent in the city's larger Highway 7-corridor plazas, though franchisor consent itself tends to move efficiently given how established many brands already are in the Markham market.
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 quick-service or restaurant franchise unit in a Markham plaza changing hands between an outgoing and incoming operator, with one lease and no other locations involved.
Start my file →A multi-unit operator selling several Markham-area locations together, or a Highway 7-corridor location where the landlord's plaza terms add conditions to the assignment.
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 Markham franchise resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.