Burlington's deal flow splits two ways: advanced-manufacturing and logistics operators tucked into the industrial parks off the QEW along Harvester Road and Appleby Line, and a dense independent retail, restaurant and salon scene running Brant Street, Fairview Street and New Street. We see both sides regularly — a tool-and-die shop changing hands the same month as a downtown café or an aesthetics studio — and we structure each deal around what's actually being sold, not a template.
Part of Halton Region — one regional deal market, page by page.
Every figure below traces to a named public source — no estimates, no filler.
†Typical patterns across Ontario deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
The same sequence underlies almost every owner-run Burlington deal — what changes from deal to deal is how long each step takes.
Reaching an agreement
Buyer and seller agree on price and key terms, usually informally, before lawyers draft anything binding. We review before you sign — even a "non-binding" LOI can lock in terms you didn't mean to fix.
usually 1–2 weeks†The APS sets out price, structure (asset or share), conditions, and closing date. We draft or review it and negotiate the protections — reps, warranties, holdbacks — that actually matter for your deal.
1–3 weeks to negotiate†Corporate, PPSA lien, litigation, and licence searches confirm what you're actually buying. We chase the seller's lawyer, the registries, and any regulator whose sign-off your deal needs.
2–4 weeks, in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord, franchisor, lender, and licensing-body sign-offs are chased in parallel with the paperwork. Burlington deals split at this step too — a Brant Street retail or salon sale is usually just landlord consent, while a QEW-corridor manufacturing sale more often adds a lender payout or PPSA lien discharge before financing closes.
often the critical path†Funds, keys, and signed documents change hands. We coordinate directly with both sides' lawyers and the lender so nothing is left to a last-minute phone call.
1 day, once conditions are met†Registrations, licence transfers still in progress, and any post-closing deliverables — like a holdback release — get tracked to completion, not left for you to chase.
1–2 week tail†This is the first real decision in almost every deal — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how it's taxed.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name. | The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Tax angle — seller | Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases. | May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares. |
| Tax angle — buyer | A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply. | Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer. |
| Licences & contracts | Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name. | Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change. |
| Employees | Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply. | Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change. |
| Typical use in Burlington | Most owner-run Burlington deals — retail, restaurant, salon — are asset sales. | Manufacturing sales in the Harvester/Appleby industrial parks more often go share, to keep OEM and supply contracts in place. |
The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name.
The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases.
May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares.
A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply.
Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer.
Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name.
Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change.
Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply.
Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change.
Most owner-run Burlington deals — retail, restaurant, salon — are asset sales.
Manufacturing sales in the Harvester/Appleby industrial parks more often go share, to keep OEM and supply contracts in place.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Different lists depending on which side of the deal you're on — both matter for how smoothly closing goes.
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 café or restaurant, a salon, a franchise unit, or a trades business in Burlington — usually one buyer, one seller.
Start my file →A company with several owners or employees, bank financing, real estate, or a deal that needs negotiated protections before you sign.
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.
Neighbouring pages in the same regional deal market.
The regional picture — consents, sectors and the full municipal web.
Oakville pairs a large corporate head-office and professional-services base with a high concentration of dental, medical and personal-care practice sales serving one of the GTA's most affluent communities.
Milton's rapid growth has built one of the GTA's busiest distribution and warehousing corridors along Highway 401, with a fast-expanding base of trucking, construction and franchise businesses.
It generally depends on what the buyer needs to keep intact. If the plant has OEM or supply contracts that would be disrupted by a change of legal entity, a share sale is often preferred so those contracts and the corporation's history carry over. An asset sale is more common where the buyer only wants the equipment, lease and goodwill, not the company's past liabilities. We look at your specific contracts before recommending a structure.
If the business offers injectables, laser or other services that require physician oversight, that oversight generally has to be re-confirmed or replaced when ownership changes — it doesn't automatically carry over with the lease or the client list. Esthetics services on their own are largely unregulated in Ontario, so this issue really only applies to the medical side of the business. We flag it early so it doesn't hold up your closing date.
It varies by landlord, but plan for a few weeks rather than a few days — older downtown buildings and long-standing leases sometimes have their own quirks worth reading closely before you sign an agreement. We open that conversation with the landlord as early as your deal allows.
Generally not automatically — financed equipment usually needs to be paid out, or the lender's lien discharged or assumed, as part of closing. This is a common step for manufacturing and industrial sellers in the Harvester Road and Appleby Line area, and we build the payout timing into your closing schedule rather than leaving it for the last week.
Ontario's Employment Standards Act has continuity rules that can carry over length of service and other obligations on an asset sale, depending on how employment is handled at closing. We walk through what that means for your specific staff before you commit to a number with a buyer.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| City of Burlington business licensing Municipal business licence applications | Visit www.burlington.ca |
| WSIB clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
| CPSO — physician oversight (medspa/aesthetics) | Visit www.cpso.on.ca |
| Ontario Business Registry Business name & corporate registration | Visit www.ontario.ca |
Industries we cover
Nearby
Serving Burlington.
Tell us about your Burlington deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.