Buying or selling an existing Minuteman Press centre in Ontario means buying a working print, design, and marketing-services business — the production equipment on the floor, the commercial client accounts on the books, and the lease all matter as much as the Minuteman Press name itself. Add the franchisor's consent and a right of first refusal, and a resale can take longer to close than a straightforward retail sale.
Minuteman Press 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 terms, conditioned on Minuteman Press's consent to the transfer and a clean look at the centre's commercial account base — not just the equipment on the floor.
1–2 weeks†The franchisor reviews the incoming buyer and the deal terms, and may exercise a right of first refusal to take over the centre itself instead of approving your purchase.
3–6 weeks, typically†Arthur Wishart Act disclosure may still be required even where the deal is framed as a private resale between two operators — Ontario courts read the resale exemption narrowly, so this gets confirmed early rather than assumed.
assessed early, in parallel†Getting to closing
The centre's storefront-and-production-floor lease needs landlord consent to assign, alongside confirming what presses, bindery equipment, and wide-format printers are owned outright versus leased or financed.
2–6 weeks†Hands-on training on the centre's press, bindery, and design-to-print workflow is typically required before the franchisor finalizes the transfer.
1–3 weeks, often overlapping†Funds, keys, and the new franchise agreement change hands together, with an equipment and inventory count settled the same day.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA listing confirms an established Canadian franchise network, CFA member since 2003, printing/design/marketing services.
Ontario print shops within its established Canadian franchise network.
This is the first real decision in a Minuteman Press 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 centre's assets — production equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, the commercial client list, and the existing location's franchise agreement, subject to consent. | The shares of the corporation operating the centre — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific centre changing hands — often the pacing condition on the whole deal. | Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over. |
| Production equipment & PPSA | Presses, bindery, and wide-format equipment are itemized, valued, and checked against PPSA registrations for liens or financing. | Equipment stays with the corporation; existing financing and lease obligations on it continue as company liabilities. |
| The lease | Needs the landlord's consent to assign, timed alongside the franchisor's own consent. | Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
| Typical use | The default for a single centre changing hands. | Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple centres under one company. |
The centre's assets — production equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, the commercial client list, and the existing location's franchise agreement, subject to consent.
The shares of the corporation operating the centre — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific centre changing hands — often the pacing condition on the whole deal.
Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over.
Presses, bindery, and wide-format equipment are itemized, valued, and checked against PPSA registrations for liens or financing.
Equipment stays with the corporation; existing financing and lease obligations on it continue as company liabilities.
Needs the landlord's consent to assign, timed alongside the franchisor's own consent.
Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
The default for a single centre changing hands.
Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple centres under one company.
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 Minuteman Press centre changing hands between one buyer and one seller — a straightforward resale with a lease, production equipment, and a standard franchisor consent process.
Start my file →An operator selling several centres as one operating company, or a resale where a right of first refusal or a disclosure question needs to be worked through 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.
Not automatically skipped. 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 anyway. We confirm whether it applies to your specific deal early, rather than assuming from the word 'resale.'
The client list and existing account relationships are typically part of what you're buying on an asset sale, but confidentiality and data-handling obligations to those commercial clients need to be handled correctly at transfer, and some accounts may have their own contract terms that don't automatically follow the sale.
Presses, bindery equipment, and wide-format printers are generally itemized and valued as part of the asset sale, with PPSA searches confirming what's financed or leased rather than owned outright. What's included in the sale price — and what liens get paid out at closing — is negotiated as part of the purchase agreement.
Yes — this happens, and it's more commonly structured as a share purchase of the operating company so every location's franchise agreement, lease, and equipment stay intact at once, rather than being individually re-consented one by one.
It varies, but franchisor consent is regularly the pacing item on the whole closing. Your purchase agreement should set out what happens to your deposit, your conditions, and your closing date if the franchisor's review runs longer than expected.
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 Minuteman Press or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Minuteman Press resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.