Buying or selling an existing Oxford Learning Centres franchise is a service-business resale built around people, not inventory — the instructors, the enrolled-student base, and the curriculum materials licensed from the franchisor typically drive the value more than the lease or the equipment does.
Oxford Learning Centres 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 and should build in the conditions that matter for a tutoring centre: franchisor consent, landlord consent, and continuity of enrolled students and instructors.
1 week†The franchisor reviews the incoming operator and the proposed terms before consenting to the transfer of that specific centre.
2–4 weeks†An Arthur Wishart Act disclosure document may still be required even where the deal is framed as a private resale — the exemption is read narrowly by Ontario courts, so this gets confirmed early.
assessed early†Getting to closing
The landlord's consent to assign the lease is typically the practical bottleneck for a centre-format resale.
2–4 weeks†Enrolled-student contracts and any prepaid tuition packages are reconciled, instructors are reviewed for retention, and the franchisor's curriculum and assessment materials are re-licensed to the incoming owner rather than assumed to transfer automatically.
2–3 weeks, around closing†After franchisor onboarding and sign-off, funds, keys, and materials change hands, timed where possible around the September or summer enrolment cycle rather than mid-term.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA listing confirms an established Canadian franchise network; founded in London, ON in 1984; dedicated franchise.oxfordlearning.com portal.
Founded in London, ON; Ontario is the brand's core operating market within its Canadian network of centres.
This is the first real decision in a Oxford Learning Centres 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 — furniture and instructional materials, the lease, the enrolled-student base, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to consent. | The shares of the operating company — every centre it holds, and everything the company owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific centre changing hands. | Required for the change of control itself, across every centre the corporation operates. |
| The lease | Needs landlord consent to assign — often the pacing item for a centre-format resale. | Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Curriculum licence & instructional materials | Re-licensed to the incoming owner as part of the new franchise agreement, rather than transferred as a standalone asset. | Stays with the corporation, since the licence is granted to the operating entity. |
| Prepaid tuition & enrolled students | Outstanding prepaid tuition packages are reconciled as a disclosed liability; enrolled families are typically notified of the change. | Stays with the corporation; no separate reconciliation needed. |
| Staff / instructors | Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply; instructor retention matters because families often stay for a specific tutor. | Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change. |
The centre's assets — furniture and instructional materials, the lease, the enrolled-student base, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to consent.
The shares of the operating company — every centre it holds, and everything the company owes.
Required for the specific centre changing hands.
Required for the change of control itself, across every centre the corporation operates.
Needs landlord consent to assign — often the pacing item for a centre-format resale.
Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
Re-licensed to the incoming owner as part of the new franchise agreement, rather than transferred as a standalone asset.
Stays with the corporation, since the licence is granted to the operating entity.
Outstanding prepaid tuition packages are reconciled as a disclosed liability; enrolled families are typically notified of the change.
Stays with the corporation; no separate reconciliation needed.
Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply; instructor retention matters because families often stay for a specific tutor.
Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change.
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 tutoring centre with a straightforward lease, changing hands between one buyer and one seller.
Start my file →A multi-centre operator selling several locations as one operating company, or a resale where instructor retention and enrolled-student transition need careful review 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 necessarily. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in the resale can be enough to trigger a full disclosure requirement anyway — we confirm early whether it applies to your deal.
Not automatically — instructor retention is negotiated as a staffing matter, and it matters more than it might for other service businesses, since families often stay enrolled because of a specific tutor rather than the location alone.
Outstanding prepaid tuition packages are reconciled as part of the deal and disclosed to the buyer as a liability being assumed, rather than left as a surprise once the new owner takes over.
Not necessarily — many owners run the business side while employing qualified instructors. The franchisor's curriculum and assessment system is licensed to the operating entity, and instructor qualifications are managed at the staffing level.
It can — since enrolment tends to follow the school calendar, closing around the September or summer enrolment cycle, rather than mid-term, is often preferable for keeping students and instructors settled through the transition.
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 Oxford Learning Centres or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Oxford Learning Centres resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.