UNIGLOBE Travel is a business- and corporate-travel-focused agency network, not a leisure-only storefront, so a resale looks different from most retail franchise transfers: continuity of TICO registration, the agency's trust account for client prepayments, and its corporate travel-management contracts matter more than any physical premises. Client trust funds have to reconcile to zero before closing, and TICO treats a change of ownership as something to review, not something that simply carries over.
UNIGLOBE Travel 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 franchisor consent and a review of the agency's corporate and leisure client accounts.
1–2 weeks†The network reviews the incoming buyer and deal terms, and may exercise a right of first refusal before consenting to the transfer.
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
The agency's TICO registration is reviewed for the change of ownership, and client trust accounts holding prepaid travel funds are reconciled to zero as part of the handover.
4–8 weeks†Office premises assignment and system and booking-platform training run alongside the network's final sign-off.
1–3 weeks†Funds and the franchise agreement change hands, with trust accounts confirmed clear and TICO's records updated.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA Look For A Franchise listing confirms UNIGLOBE Travel International Limited Partnership as an established Vancouver-founded Canadian travel-agency franchise network, in business since 1981, serving small-to-mid-size enterprise clients
Ontario travel-agency members within its Canadian-founded global franchise network
This is the first real decision in a UNIGLOBE Travel 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 agency's assets — the corporate and leisure client account book, booking-platform access, office equipment, and the existing franchise agreement's benefit, subject to consent. | The shares of the corporation operating the agency — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific agency changing hands. | Required for the change of control itself. |
| TICO registration | The buyer's own registration, or a registration update, is required — it isn't assumed to transfer with the premises. | May continue under the existing corporate registration, subject to TICO's own review of the ownership change. |
| Client trust accounts | Prepaid travel funds held in trust must reconcile to zero before closing — this is checked, not assumed. | Trust obligations stay with the corporation; historical reconciliation still matters to a buyer taking on the shares. |
| Corporate travel-management contracts | Business-client service agreements are reviewed individually, since some carry their own consent-to-assign terms. | Contracts generally stay in place without individual re-consent, since the contracting corporation doesn't change. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
The agency's assets — the corporate and leisure client account book, booking-platform access, office equipment, and the existing franchise agreement's benefit, subject to consent.
The shares of the corporation operating the agency — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific agency changing hands.
Required for the change of control itself.
The buyer's own registration, or a registration update, is required — it isn't assumed to transfer with the premises.
May continue under the existing corporate registration, subject to TICO's own review of the ownership change.
Prepaid travel funds held in trust must reconcile to zero before closing — this is checked, not assumed.
Trust obligations stay with the corporation; historical reconciliation still matters to a buyer taking on the shares.
Business-client service agreements are reviewed individually, since some carry their own consent-to-assign terms.
Contracts generally stay in place without individual re-consent, since the contracting corporation doesn't change.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
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 UNIGLOBE agency changing hands between one buyer and one seller, with a straightforward TICO registration update and a clean trust-account reconciliation.
Start my file →An agency with a substantial corporate travel-management book where individual client consents need to be worked through, or a trust-account reconciliation that turns up a shortfall to resolve before closing.
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.
Yes — a meaningful part of an agency's value can sit in ongoing corporate travel-management contracts rather than one-off leisure bookings, so confirming which business accounts carry their own consent-to-assign terms is a genuine part of buying an established UNIGLOBE agency.
Client prepayments for future travel are held in trust, and that trust account has to reconcile to zero before closing — it's one of the more distinctive steps in a travel-agency resale compared to most other franchise transfers.
No — a change of ownership triggers TICO's own review of the agency's registration and its Travel Industry Compensation Fund bonding, so this is planned for as an active step, not assumed to happen automatically.
Possibly. 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 even where the deal is framed as a private resale.
Most run longer than a typical retail franchise resale — often 8 to 14 weeks — largely because TICO's registration review and trust-account reconciliation both need to clear before closing, not because the franchisor's own consent process is unusually slow.
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 UNIGLOBE Travel or its franchisor.
Tell us about your UNIGLOBE Travel resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.