Windsor's cross-border automotive-manufacturing economy is unlike anywhere else in Ontario, and it shapes almost every deal here — a tool-and-die shop sale looks at environmental history and OEM contracts, while a restaurant or auto-repair sale looks more like a typical main-street deal. We scope which of these your specific business needs before any work begins, and confirm the cost in writing.
Part of Windsor-Essex & Chatham-Kent — 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 Windsor 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 Windsor, this is usually where a manufacturing site's environmental screening, an OEM supply contract, or a trade-licence requalification adds the most time.
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 Windsor | Owner-run restaurant, retail and auto-repair deals. | Common in manufacturing and tool-and-die sales, to preserve OEM supply agreements and keep the corporation's history intact. |
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.
Owner-run restaurant, retail and auto-repair deals.
Common in manufacturing and tool-and-die sales, to preserve OEM supply agreements and keep the corporation's history intact.
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 Windsor — 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.
Mainly to keep OEM and supply contracts, and any collective agreement at a unionized plant, intact without triggering a change-of-control clause. We confirm whether that structure actually fits your specific plant and customer base before you commit to a number.
It's a common and often prudent step — older manufacturing and industrial properties can carry environmental history that's worth a screening-level review, particularly Phase I, before you close. We factor this into diligence on any older industrial site, rather than treating it as a formality.
Generally no — selling used vehicles requires its own OMVIC dealer registration, separate from the shop's general business licence, and it doesn't come bundled with the premises. We confirm what's actually registered, and to whom, before you rely on that revenue stream.
It can — if the trade licence depends on a specific qualified person who leaves before the buyer's own person is in place, there can be a gap in the firm's ability to operate under that licence. We flag staffing and licensing dependencies together in diligence, rather than treating them as two separate questions.
They're worth reviewing as part of environmental due diligence — handling history for these materials can flag issues worth addressing before you close, even at a small independent shop. We include a screening-level review where the business handles these materials, so nothing surfaces after you own it.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| City of Windsor Municipal business licensing | Visit www.windsor.ca |
| WSIB Clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
| OMVIC Used vehicle dealer registration | Visit www.omvic.ca |
| AGCO Liquor sales licence transfers | Visit www.agco.ca |
Industries we cover
Nearby
Serving Windsor's automotive-manufacturing, retail and trades business community.
Tell us about your Windsor deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.