Buying or selling an existing INS Market location in Ontario is often a banner conversion as much as a franchise resale — many locations join the network as an existing independent convenience store rebranding under the banner, which changes what actually needs franchisor consent versus what was already in place.
INS Market 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 convenience-store resale: banner/franchisor consent, re-registration of the lottery and tobacco/vape authorizations, and a clean inventory count method — not just financing.
1–2 weeks†INS Market reviews the incoming owner's application — whether the location is an existing banner store changing hands or an independent store converting to the banner for the first time — and confirms terms for the banner agreement.
several weeks, typically†Whether an Arthur Wishart Act disclosure document applies to this specific resale gets confirmed early — Ontario courts read the resale exemption narrowly, so banner or franchisor involvement in the resale can still trigger a full disclosure requirement.
assessed early in the deal†Getting to closing
The landlord's consent to assign the lease runs alongside re-registering the OLG lottery agreement and any tobacco or vape retail authorization, neither of which follows the business automatically.
3–8 weeks†The incoming owner typically completes banner operations and point-of-sale training before or shortly after taking over the store.
before or shortly after closing†Funds, keys, and the assignment documents change hands once consent, disclosure, and the lease all clear, alongside a physical inventory count settled at cost.
1 day, once conditions are met†Official insmarket.ca franchise application accepts inquiries across Canadian provinces from its Toronto, ON head office
Toronto-headquartered convenience store banner with Ontario locations
This is the first real decision in a INS Market 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 store's assets — equipment, fixtures, inventory, the leasehold, and the benefit of the banner agreement, subject to INS Market's consent. | The shares of the operating company that holds the store — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Banner/franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific location changing hands, whether it's an existing banner store or a new conversion. | Required for the change of control itself — INS Market reviews who is actually taking over. |
| Arthur Wishart disclosure | May still be required even where the deal is framed as a private resale — the exemption is read narrowly. | Assessed the same way regardless of how the shares change hands. |
| The lease | Needs the landlord's consent to assign — often runs alongside the OLG and tobacco/vape re-registrations. | Usually stays in place unless the lease itself has a 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 in an INS Market resale | The default for a single store changing hands between one buyer and one seller, including a first-time banner conversion. | More common where an owner holding several stores sells the operating company as a whole. |
The store's assets — equipment, fixtures, inventory, the leasehold, and the benefit of the banner agreement, subject to INS Market's consent.
The shares of the operating company that holds the store — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific location changing hands, whether it's an existing banner store or a new conversion.
Required for the change of control itself — INS Market reviews who is actually taking over.
May still be required even where the deal is framed as a private resale — the exemption is read narrowly.
Assessed the same way regardless of how the shares change hands.
Needs the landlord's consent to assign — often runs alongside the OLG and tobacco/vape re-registrations.
Usually stays in place unless the lease itself has a 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 store changing hands between one buyer and one seller, including a first-time banner conversion.
More common where an owner holding several stores sells the operating company as a whole.
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 INS Market store, whether an existing banner location or an independent store converting for the first time, changing hands between one buyer and one seller.
Start my file →An owner holding several INS Market stores selling the operating company as one, or a resale where fuel dispensing 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.
Not necessarily. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and banner involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can be enough to trigger a full disclosure requirement anyway. Whether it applies to your deal is confirmed early, not assumed.
It's related but distinct — a conversion adds a new banner agreement to what might otherwise be a straightforward business purchase, and the banner's own review of the applicant and the store runs alongside the purchase itself, not after it.
No — both typically require the incoming owner to apply and re-register in its own name, and neither follows the business automatically. Timing that re-registration around closing so there's no service gap is one of the more common scheduling issues in a convenience-store resale.
It can. Where a location includes fuel dispensing, TSSA fuel-safety licensing and equipment inspection come into the transfer alongside the banner and lease steps — we scope which of these your specific store actually needs at intake.
It changes what you're taking on. The corporation's history and its existing liabilities come along with the shares, while the banner agreement and lease generally stay attached rather than being re-applied for. We test that reasoning before you agree to it.
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 INS Market or its franchisor.
Tell us about your INS Market resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.