Fredericton's professional firms serving government and two universities, its compact downtown of independent restaurants and retailers, and a growing cluster of IT and technology companies make for a steadier, less seasonal small-business market than New Brunswick's more tourism- or industry-driven cities. That stability shows up in diligence too — cleaner books, more predictable revenue, fewer surprises.
Part of New Brunswick — one provincial deal market, page by page.
Every figure below traces to a named public source — no estimates, no filler.
†Typical patterns across New Brunswick deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
The same sequence underlies almost every owner-run Fredericton 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. In Fredericton the provincial pieces — the Corporate Registry search, the WorkSafeNB clearance letter, and any liquor-licensing step for a downtown venue — get sequenced alongside the landlord's consent rather than afterward.
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 Fredericton | Most downtown retail, food-service and small professional-practice deals — HST is the only sales tax that applies, so the tax question comes down to the s.167 election rather than a separate provincial charge. | Common in professional-services and technology firms, where government or institutional contracts are the value and the corporation continues to hold them. |
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 downtown retail, food-service and small professional-practice deals — HST is the only sales tax that applies, so the tax question comes down to the s.167 election rather than a separate provincial charge.
Common in professional-services and technology firms, where government or institutional contracts are the value and the corporation continues to hold them.
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 Fredericton — 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.
Moncton's small-business market is shaped by its long-standing role as the Maritimes' transportation and distribution hub, with trucking, warehousing, and logistics operators a recurring feature of local business sales alongside franchise restaurants and retail serving the wider region that shops and travels through the city.
Saint John's small-business landscape sits in the shadow of a small number of large industrial employers -- an oil refinery, a pulp mill, port operations, and an aquaculture company all linked to the city's Irving-affiliated industrial base -- and many independent trades contractors, transport and marine suppliers, and uptown restaurants and shops serve or supply those larger operations.
Often easier, if anything — contracts with government departments or the universities tend to be well-documented and renew on a predictable cycle, which gives a buyer's lawyer and accountant more to work with than a business built on informal, handshake-based client relationships.
The New Brunswick mechanics are the same either way, but a technology firm's value usually sits in intellectual property, client contracts and key staff rather than physical assets — so the diligence list shifts toward assignability clauses in those contracts and retention terms for the people who built the product.
It can mean steadier, if lower-margin, foot traffic than a purely tourist-driven downtown, and a seasonal dip around the school calendar rather than the weather. We ask for a full academic-year set of financials, not just a summer or holiday snapshot, before valuing that kind of business.
Share deals are common where the firm's government or institutional contracts, staff, and reputation are the real value — an asset sale would mean rebuilding those relationships from scratch, which most buyers would rather not do.
New Brunswick applies HST and nothing else at the provincial level, so an asset deal's tax question is really just whether the sale qualifies for the federal s.167 election, which can remove HST from the closing statement on a going-concern transfer.
Because unpaid workers'-compensation premiums can otherwise become the buyer's problem after closing. The letter confirms the seller's account is clear, it's free to request, and it's one of the standard conditions we build into every New Brunswick purchase agreement.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| New Brunswick Corporate Registry Corporate searches & extra-provincial registration | Visit www2.snb.ca |
| WorkSafeNB — accounts and coverage Clearance letters | Visit www.worksafenb.ca |
| New Brunswick — liquor licences and permits Licensed venues | Visit www.gnb.ca |
| New Brunswick — food premises licence Operator permits | Visit www.gnb.ca |
Industries we cover
Nearby
Serving Fredericton.
Tell us about your Fredericton deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.