How do I check a butcher shop’s delivery vehicle and refrigeration unit?
Ask for service records and ownership papers on both the delivery vehicle and the refrigeration unit, then test them. Drive the vehicle, check its cold storage, and watch the walk-in cooler and display cases hold their temperature through a busy day. Keep temperature logs and repair invoices on file.
Start with the paperwork. For the vehicle, ask for the title or lease, maintenance records, accident history and insurance details, and find out who drives it. For the refrigeration, ask for installation dates, service invoices and any warranty. Check that nothing is financed or leased in a way that does not transfer. Your lawyer can read those papers and tell you what you would be taking on.
Then inspect them. Drive the vehicle if you can, noting brakes, tyres, rust and the condition of its cold storage. Check the cooling equipment on a delivery run. In the shop, look at the walk-in cooler and display cases: door seals, frost, noise, and whether temperatures stay steady during a busy day. Ask for temperature logs and see whether they are kept consistently or only filled in before visits.
Last, ask a refrigeration technician to inspect the units and give you a plain account of their remaining life. Ask the seller what would be replaced first and get a quote. A breakdown can destroy a week of stock, so ask what backup there is and who responds after hours. Your accountant can help you plan for these costs in your offer.
Key takeaways
- Get ownership, lease and service papers for the vehicle and each cooler.
- Test the vehicle’s cold storage and watch the coolers hold temperature through a busy day.
- Ask a refrigeration technician for an honest view of remaining life.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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