Richmond’s franchise resale trade clusters around mall and airport-adjacent food-service units, tied to Vancouver International Airport and the airport-corridor strip’s mix of grocery, retail and specialty dining. Asia-Pacific import and cross-border trade colour much of the local business base, and food-service and retail brands are the categories that change hands most often. BC’s Franchises Act carries its own narrow resale exemption, so whether disclosure applies to a Richmond resale gets confirmed at intake rather than assumed.
Richmond franchise resales, in the full business-sale context.
A Richmond franchise resale usually involves one of two distinct landlord types: an airport-authority lease inside or near the terminal, which carries its own security-clearance and operating-hours conditions on top of a standard assignment consent, or a shopping-centre or airport-corridor strip landlord running a more conventional tenant-mix review. Food-service brands with import-linked supply chains are common, and grocery or specialty-retail units tied to cross-border and Asia-Pacific trade round out the resale activity. Single-unit ownership is typical, with the franchisor’s consent — usually backed by a right of first refusal — running alongside whichever landlord approval applies. PST at 7% applies to the tangible equipment on an asset-sale resale, and a licensed food-service unit works through an LCRB transfer before the keys change hands.
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 Richmond, an airport-authority lease’s own security and operating conditions can add a step the franchisor’s consent doesn’t touch, so we identify which kind of landlord is involved before the assignment clock starts.
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 Richmond 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
It can — a lease with the airport authority typically carries its own security-clearance and operating-hours conditions layered on top of the standard assignment consent, which a shopping-centre lease usually doesn’t have. We identify which applies to your unit early.
Richmond’s role in Asia-Pacific trade and its airport-cargo and cross-border logistics base support a food-service and specialty-retail sector with import-linked supply chains, which shows up often in the local resale mix. We review supply-agreement terms alongside the franchise agreement itself.
Single-unit ownership is the more typical pattern. Where an operator holds more than one location, they tend to sit in different retail nodes across the city rather than clustered in one corridor.
Sometimes. The Franchises Act exempts a grant by a franchisee from disclosure only where the reselling franchisee is acting for their own account and the franchisor isn’t effecting the transfer — a distinction that turns on your deal’s actual facts, not the airport or mall setting. We assess it at intake on every Richmond resale.
Generally yes, on an asset sale — used tangible assets like kitchen or display equipment are taxable at 7% PST unless an exemption applies, while goodwill and franchise rights sit outside it. It’s a predictable figure once the purchase-price allocation is set.
Typically yes — the LCRB’s transfer process generally lets a licensed food-service unit keep operating through the review, with the buyer becoming a deemed licensee once the application is administratively complete. Starting that application early matters as much here as anywhere else in the region.
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 or airport-adjacent food-service franchise unit in Richmond changing hands between an outgoing and incoming owner-operator, with one lease and one franchisor consent.
Start my file →A Richmond operator holding units in more than one retail node, or an airport-authority-leased unit carrying its own security and operating conditions on top of the franchisor’s review.
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 Richmond franchise resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.