Buying or selling an existing Signarama location in Ontario means buying a retail-facing sign shop — walk-in and B2B signage orders, a production floor, and often an outdoor and vehicle-graphics installation side to the business — alongside the Signarama name. Exterior signage work can carry its own municipal permit and by-law considerations that a buyer should account for before closing, on top of the usual franchisor consent process.
Signarama 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 the franchisor's consent and a review of the location's commercial account base and open orders.
1–2 weeks†The franchisor reviews the buyer and deal terms, and may exercise a right of first refusal to take over the location 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 — Ontario courts read the resale exemption narrowly, so this gets confirmed early rather than assumed.
assessed early, in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord's consent to assign the storefront-and-production lease, plus confirming ownership and financing on production and cutting equipment.
2–6 weeks†Training on the location's production workflow and design/order-management systems is typically required ahead of the franchisor's final sign-off.
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 via signarama.ca, the dedicated Canadian franchise site.
Ontario locations within its established Canadian franchise network.
This is the first real decision in a Signarama 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 location's assets — production equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, open orders, and the existing franchise agreement, subject to consent. | The shares of the corporation operating the location — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific location 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 | Cutters, printers, and fabrication tools are itemized, valued, and checked against PPSA registrations for liens or financing. | Equipment stays with the corporation; existing financing continues as a company liability. |
| 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 location changing hands. | Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple locations under one company. |
The location's assets — production equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, open orders, and the existing franchise agreement, subject to consent.
The shares of the corporation operating the location — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific location 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.
Cutters, printers, and fabrication tools are itemized, valued, and checked against PPSA registrations for liens or financing.
Equipment stays with the corporation; existing financing continues as a company liability.
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 location changing hands.
Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple locations 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 Signarama location changing hands between one buyer and one seller — a retail lease, production equipment, and a standard franchisor consent process.
Start my file →An operator selling several locations as one operating company, or a resale where outstanding permit issues, a right of first refusal, or a disclosure question needs to be worked through first.
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.
It can. Exterior and pylon signage installations are often subject to municipal sign by-laws and permits, so outstanding permit issues or non-compliant installations are worth confirming during diligence, separate from the franchise resale process itself.
This is addressed in the purchase agreement rather than assumed. Work-in-progress orders, deposits already collected from customers, and materials on order are typically itemized and allocated between buyer and seller at closing.
Not necessarily. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in the resale can trigger a full disclosure requirement regardless of how the deal is framed. We confirm whether it applies to your deal early.
Cutting, printing, and fabrication equipment is generally itemized and valued as part of the asset sale, with PPSA searches confirming what's financed or leased. What's included in price and payout of any liens is negotiated as part of the purchase agreement.
Often, yes. An operating company holding multiple locations is more commonly sold as shares, keeping every location's franchise agreement and equipment financing intact at once.
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 Signarama or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Signarama resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.