From London's hospitals and insurance towers to Sarnia's petrochemical corridor and Oxford County's dairy and food-processing towns, this stretch of southwestern Ontario sees a steady mix of dental and medical practice sales, manufacturing businesses, and main-street restaurants and retail changing hands. We tell you which structure fits, and what it costs, before any work begins.
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 London & Southwestern Ontario 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 this region it's often a college's Certificate of Authorization or an OEM supply-contract consent that sets the pace, more than the landlord.
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 London & Southwestern Ontario | Most restaurant, retail and smaller trades deals — a buyer taking equipment, a lease and a name. | Common in dental and medical practice sales, and in larger manufacturing deals to preserve OEM and supply contracts. |
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 restaurant, retail and smaller trades deals — a buyer taking equipment, a lease and a name.
Common in dental and medical practice sales, and in larger manufacturing deals to preserve OEM and supply contracts.
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 London & Southwestern Ontario — 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.
Each anchor municipality has its own deal-brief page — same process, local numbers.
London's economy centres on health sciences, insurance and education, giving it an unusually deep base of dental and medical practice sales alongside a steady main-street restaurant and retail resale market.
Ontario's dental college generally requires voting shares of a professional corporation to be held by licensed dentists, and it doesn't permit holding-company ownership of a dental PC — which pushes most practice sales toward a share structure rather than an asset sale. A new or updated Certificate of Authorization from the college is a standard closing condition. We coordinate the college approval alongside the purchase agreement so neither holds up the other.
It can — a manufacturing site with a long industrial history in that corridor sometimes warrants a Phase I environmental site assessment before you commit, particularly if real property is included in the deal. Not every manufacturing purchase needs this, but it's worth checking early rather than discovering it during financing. We flag when a Phase I makes sense for your specific site.
A liquor licence generally needs to be transferred or newly applied for through AGCO when a restaurant changes hands — it doesn't move automatically with the sale. The health unit typically also wants to inspect before you reopen under new ownership. We track both processes so your opening date isn't held hostage to paperwork.
Practice sales usually run longer than a typical restaurant or retail deal — often several months rather than a few weeks — mainly because of the college approval and Certificate of Authorization timeline. Associate agreements and patient-record transfer terms also take time to negotiate properly. We build your closing date around the college's realistic timeline, not an optimistic one.
Expect early requests for your lease and any assignment terms, a clean set of financial statements, and confirmation that your key supplier accounts and any licences are in good standing. Buyers' lawyers also typically want to see how inventory will be counted and valued at closing. We tell you what to have ready before the request even comes in.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| London business licensing | Visit www.london.ca |
| Sarnia business licensing | Visit www.sarnia.ca |
| St. Thomas business licensing | Visit www.st-thomas.ca |
| College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario | Visit www.cpso.on.ca |
| Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario | Visit www.rcdso.org |
| WSIB clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
Industries we cover
Adjacent regions
Acting for buyers and sellers across London & Southwestern Ontario: London · Sarnia · Woodstock · St. Thomas · Strathroy-Caradoc · Middlesex Centre · Tillsonburg · St. Clair · Thames Centre · Central Elgin · Ingersoll · Lambton Shores · Norwich · Malahide.
Tell us about your London & Southwestern Ontario deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.