Develop a new service station
Assess the site, access, demand, competition, planning position, licence sequence and investment case.
Start with feasibility →South African downstream petroleumService-station licensing
Develop, acquire or transfer a service station through the correct site and retail licensing process.
A service-station project brings together land, access, traffic, demand, licensing, environmental and planning processes, fuel supply, capital, lease terms and operational performance.
What are you planning to do?
Development, acquisition and ownership change require different evidence.
Buy a licensed petrol station
Review the licences, site rights, lease, volumes, margins, equipment, transaction structure and change-of-hands route.
Assess an acquisition →Manage a change of ownership
Determine whether the facts require a new retail application, site-related process, amendment or other regulatory action.
Request an assessment →Understand the two licences
The site licence relates to the premises from which retailing occurs. The retail licence relates to the retail business operating from that site. The correct combination and sequence depend on whether the project is new, transferred or changing ownership.
New service-station development may require
- Initial site and project assessment
- Need and desirability evidence
- Feasibility, traffic and competitor analysis
- Site and retail application documentation
- Business plan and NPV or financial analysis
- Publication and supporting processes
- Coordination with zoning, environmental, access and development processes
Important commercial questions
- Who controls the land or site right?
- What is the zoning and approval position?
- Can vehicles enter and exit safely?
- What demand and competition evidence supports the project?
- What capital and working capital are required?
- What lease, fuel-supply and branding arrangements are proposed?
- Does the projected throughput support the investment?
The first step is to confirm the correct licensing route
UFuel first determines whether the enquiry concerns a new development, an existing licensed site, a business sale, a majority ownership change, a site transfer or an amendment. These situations do not all use the same application process.