If you are seriously interested in the retail petroleum products business, be prepared to pay a lot of attention to the safety of staff, customers and the environment. Before opening a gas station, you need to prepare documents confirming that the newly created facility for storing and selling petroleum products meets all regulatory requirements of federal and municipal authorities.
In this article we will tell you how in modern conditions you can open a gas station, and how to avoid mistakes that can ruin an entire starting business and prevent the opening of a gas station as a legal and promising facility.
Which gas station to open?
What do you need to open a gas station?
After state control over the gas station business was significantly weakened in 2012, it became a little easier for entrepreneurs to comply with all the requirements of federal and municipal legislation. However, before starting to make money at a gas station, a businessman must obtain a number of permits.
Enterprise registration
Work on the creation of a gas station cannot begin before the registration of the enterprise. An entrepreneur can choose an organizational and legal form based on the conditions in which the business is launched. The law allows the opening of gas stations both on the basis of a legal entity and on the basis of an individual. , the businessman himself decides.
Acceptable tax systems:
- general (OSNO);
- simplified (USN).
Regardless of taxation, an enterprise that operates a gas station must pay VAT.
However, before opening a gas station as a franchise, a businessman should study in detail the terms of the concession (franchise) agreement of the intended partner. Fulfilling all the conditions of the franchise is a very expensive pleasure. According to experts, the implementation of one large franchise project can cost up to 1 million US dollars (including a lump-sum fee).
Whether the operation of a gas station under the auspices of a well-known brand guarantees the success of the entire project can be judged by the situation on the Russian market in the retail trade of petroleum products.
It is obvious that large chains are increasing their presence, but at the same time, regional gas stations are increasingly appearing, offering their customers high-quality service and excellent gasoline. Such developing franchises may well be available to a novice entrepreneur and will help him achieve planned economic results in a short time.
Any type of fuel is, first of all, a type of product that is in great demand, even though it becomes more and more expensive every year. Due to the popularity of any type of fuel, opening your own gas station will be just an excellent means of income for you.
But, as in every type of business, the fuel business has its own pitfalls and subtleties that must be studied. In order to study these features of opening your own gas station, you need to draw up a business plan that will help you avoid trouble. Also, a business plan will also help you organize your enterprise step by step.
Typically the solution open a gas station may arise both for an ordinary person and for a businessman - but the first thing that needs to be done before opening such a business is to conduct a market analysis and select an area of your locality that is not yet occupied by this business.
1. Overview section
In this section, you need to describe what kind of gas station you want to open (the standard version is a gas station for 8 cars).
Also, you need to indicate the organizational and legal form of doing business (as a rule, you will need to register as an individual entrepreneur, but if you plan to work with corporate customers, then you should register as an “LLC”). If you register as an individual entrepreneur, this will give you several advantages, including low taxation, but the disadvantage of this type of activity is that the provision of services is possible only to private individuals. If you also want to serve legal entities, then, as stated above, you need to register as a legal entity (the same as “LLC”).
The degree of success of such a business is assessed as high, since today the demand for gas stations among consumers is very high, even despite their huge number in a relatively small area and high fuel prices.
2. Description of the enterprise
This section of the business plan should describe the business you want to open. For example, you can give the following description: it is assumed opening of a gas station, which is designed for 8 parking spaces and which offers the consumer several of the most basic types of fuel.
3. Description of services
At this stage of designing your enterprise, you need to describe the services that your gas station will provide to consumers. As a rule, any gas station provides services for refueling cars with various types of fuel, the most common of which are:
1. Gasoline grade AI-98;
2. Gasoline grade AI-95;
3. Gasoline grade AI-92;
4. Gasoline grade AI-76;
5. Diesel fuel;
6. Gas (a new, but already common type of fuel).
Also, it is worth considering that your gas station will also provide free refueling services. In addition, on the territory of a gas station, you can install a store where you can sell consumer goods or open an auto goods store (you can sell both small goods for a car and full-fledged spare parts for an engine). It would also be advisable to open a car wash at the gas station, we have one.
4. Market analysis
At this stage of the business plan, you need to monitor the gas station market in your locality, and establish your enterprise in an area where the concentration of gas stations is small.
In order to open your own gas station you will need a set of documentation:
1. License of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy for the storage of oil and gas, as well as their processed products;
2. Permission from local authorities to use the land for a gas station;
3. Land lease agreement issued by local authorities.
It is worth noting that the site on which your gas station will be located must be 30 meters away from the residential area.
5. Production plan
Once you have received all the permits required for opening your own gas station, the stage of drawing up a production plan begins. First of all, you need to find a contractor company that will take on the responsibility for building your gas station. Today, finding such a company is not a problem, since there are a lot of companies involved in construction. During the construction of a gas station, you should pay attention to such components as:
1. Capacity for draining and storing various types of fuel;
2. Production premises;
3. Sales store;
4. Canopy over fuel pumps.
As a rule, it only takes about a month or a month and a half to build a gas station.
After constructing the gas station building itself, you can start purchasing equipment:
1. Gas station control system;
2. Fuel pumps;
3. Equipment for the store: display cases, sales shelves, cash registers; if there is supposed to be a bar, then you need to buy both a bar counter and kitchen equipment;
4. Fire safety stand (without this equipment you simply will not be allowed to open your own gas station).
After building a gas station and installing the appropriate equipment on it, you can proceed directly to putting such a station into operation. First of all, you must sign all the necessary agreements with fuel suppliers. This is necessary in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fuel to your gas station. As a rule, in large cities you will also have a choice of fuel supplier, since in such settlements there are several fairly large fuel supply companies.
By the way, if you want to make your gas station more famous, then a way of doing business such as franchising is suitable for you. This type of business will allow you to use the brand of a well-known fuel company for only 25-30 thousand rubles per year. As practice has already shown, opening a franchise is quite a profitable solution, since a well-known brand attracts consumers much more, which means that fuel sales increase significantly. But if you decide to open a franchise, then you should be prepared for the fact that the representative company will require you to comply with its corporate identity and attributes.
Once all stages have been completed, you can begin recruiting personnel. As a rule, for a gas station the following list of workers will be enough for you:
1. Salesperson-cashier (3 people will be enough to work in shifts);
2. Security guard (3 people, work in shifts, in the same shift as cashiers);
It is worth considering the fact that all employees of your gas station must have appropriate certificates obtained from the inspectorate for supervision in the field of circulation of petroleum products.
6. Financial plan
In this section of the business plan, you need to consider all the expenses and future income from such a business.
Expenses:
In the expense item, you need to indicate the costs of renting a site (approximately 100,000-1,500,000 rubles per year), construction of a gas station (2,000,000 rubles), equipment for a gas station (1,000,000 rubles), staff salaries (1,920,000 rubles), as well as all kinds of taxes, fees, approvals (300,000 rubles). In total, to open your own gas station you will need about 6 million rubles.
Income:
In the income item, you can indicate such income as the sale of fuel (20,000-30,000 rubles per day), the sale of various goods (6,000 rubles per day). In total, your own gas station will bring you about 800 thousand rubles per month.
After opening a gas station, you will get your invested money back in about 8 months.
Your own gas station (gas station) is a very popular business, despite the fact that it requires serious investments. More and more people are becoming car owners, so the costs can be recouped in a short time. How to open a gas station and what is required for this will be discussed further.
Step-by-step plan for opening a gas station
Opening a gas station is quite a serious business. First, you will need to carefully calculate everything, try to take into account as much as possible all possible shortcomings, and only then take decisive action. The procedure from the start of work on the project to the opening of a gas station can be described in the following sequence:
- Business plan development . This is where you have to put your idea on paper. The most important part of a business plan is calculating how much it costs to open a gas station. This will allow you to determine the required starting capital.
- Preparation of necessary documents . In this business, you will need documents to register you as an entrepreneur, registration of the business as such, as well as a number of permits. Most of them require additional investments. If you want to open a minimarket at your gas station or any other organization that provides additional services on the territory, you will also need to collect all permitting documents. Most often, this stage takes the most time.
- Site selection and construction . To open a gas station, you need to choose the most suitable location. It is important to consider whether you want to purchase an existing gas station or open your own. In the second case, it is also important to note the additional construction costs.
- Purchase of equipment and fuel . Before opening a gas station, decide what fuel and its varieties you intend to sell. In addition to fuel, you will need to purchase tanks, as well as a two-hose fuel dispenser.
- Hiring staff . The number of people employed at your gas station will depend on the types of activities you offer to customers. For example, at some gas stations the staff is limited to just one cashier, while at others there is also a cleaning lady, several gas station attendants, and a manager.
Only after implementing all the above steps, proper preparation and proper consideration of all risks is it possible to successfully open a gas station.
Business plan for opening a gas station
Before opening a gas station, it is important to calculate the amount of the initial investment. The following brief business plan will help you calculate how much it costs to open a gas station:
- Earth . Purchasing land or leasing it is an individual choice of the entrepreneur. In our case, we will consider the purchase option. A good plot will cost you about 5-8 million rubles.
- Construction . As a rule, today businessmen prefer gas stations with underground fuel storage. Almost all gas stations operate this way. The maximum construction period for a gas station of this type will take about 6 months, and the average cost will be approximately 15 million rubles.
- Documentation . Documents for business registration and permits (in particular for fuel storage) will be required. Costs at this stage can range from 20,000 to 50,000 rubles.
- Equipment . The equipment includes fuel tanks, emergency and spare tanks, a storm water system tank and a two-hose fuel dispenser. The number of devices depends on the scale of the refueling. On average, expenses will cost from 3 to 5 million.
- Staff . Presumably, the station will have a cashier (operator), a cleaner and 3 gas attendants. If everyone’s average monthly salary is 25,000 rubles, then in total it will be 125,000 per month.
- Petrol . For the first month you will need to buy gasoline for 30,000 - 50,000 rubles. The volume depends on your tanks and the number of pumps on the territory.
The final amount received averages 25,200,000 rubles. With a monthly income of 1,000,000 rubles, it will take about 2 years for full payback. Please note that the cost is calculated without the retail area, which can also be located on the territory of the gas station.
Selecting a location for a gas station
The most important step before opening your own gas station is choosing a location. In fact, this item is the most expensive in the business plan and requires the most careful approach. The easiest and cheapest way is to purchase a ready-made, functioning gas station. If this is not possible, then approach the selection of the area with all seriousness. Consider the following recommendations:
- Safe location . The site must meet all fire safety requirements, otherwise it will not be possible to obtain permission to open. For example, one of the requirements states that the residential building closest to the gas station must be no closer than 30 m. The Ministry of Fuel and Energy and Rospotrebnadzor will provide you with the necessary information about the current requirements for gas stations.
- Required area . Calculate the number of speakers you want to place on the territory, as well as the possibility of providing additional services to customers. This could be a cafe, a small store, etc. The approximate area must be calculated with a margin, so that it will be possible to calculate a sufficient convenient place for cars to access.
- Competitiveness . If you are opening a gas station not as a franchise, then study the layout of other stations nearby. This is very important for maintaining initial competitiveness and maintaining it.
Collection of documents for opening a gas station
Let's take a more specific look at what documents you need to prepare before opening your gas station:
- First of all, after choosing a plot, be sure to draw up papers confirming your ownership of it (or a lease agreement if you are not buying land).
- Then you need to contact the city council with documents for ownership. This must be done before opening a gas station in order to obtain permission to locate the planned facility - in our case, a gas station. If this body gives approval for construction, then we move on to the next stage.
- Opening a gas station is impossible without permission from the sanitary and epidemiological station, the fire service, the land department, and the environmental commission. It is quite difficult to pass all the checks successfully; it will take a lot of time. It is very important to select a site that complies with fire safety standards to obtain all permits, since this authority will play a key role in deciding whether to allow business to operate in this area.
- The design documentation approval stage will require re-inspection by the same authorities listed above.
- Permits in terms of technical conditions are issued by such organizations as Gorgaz, Gorenergo, Gorvodokanal, Gorsvet, State Traffic Inspectorate and Telecom. Professionals from specialized companies can help you come to an agreement with these organizations; within no more than 2 months, they will help you collect all the necessary documentation for a relatively small fee.
- Next, an urban planning justification will be required. Such a document is obtained from the Department for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. Its production time takes up to a month.
- Only after all the documents have been completed can we proceed to design. The project is ordered from architects and implemented in two stages: sketch and project. The finished project, before opening a gas station, undergoes a series of checks. It is tested in accordance with the terms of the technical specifications and the APP, as well as according to the state comprehensive examination.
- The last stage before construction is permission to excavate. It can be obtained from the Main Directorate of Control for Improvement and External Design.
The collection of all documents and the duration of the procedure have a significant impact on how much it costs to open a gas station. After all, by wasting time, you also lose the invested funds, taking into account the fact that some documents have an expiration date.
Open a gas station as a franchise
A profitable and popular option that allows you to significantly reduce the preparation procedure for opening a gas station is franchising. Today there are many companies selling fuel that provide businessmen with the opportunity to open their own gas stations on a franchise basis.
This option has many advantages, including:
- Cooperation with experienced specialists. Employees of the company providing the franchise will help answer your questions, as well as competently implement preparatory procedures and open a gas station in the shortest possible time.
- Payback. Franchise companies have already earned a name for themselves and are popular among car owners. Therefore, be sure that you will certainly have clients. In addition, there is also an additional markup for the brand on gasoline, and for the entrepreneur this is additional profit.
The most popular companies for franchising are Lukoil and Rosneft. Cooperation with them is beneficial in all respects, except for one thing - you will have to share part of your earnings with your partner. But in any case, the profit received in a fairly short period will exceed income, and you will be in the black.
Video instructions for opening a gas station
If you have probably already decided to open your own gas station, be sure to watch the following video. It contains the most current and simple recommendations for opening a gas station:
To open your own gas station, you need to have a large start-up capital, as well as prepare a detailed business plan. The most important steps are choosing a location and collecting all documents. Franchising will help significantly simplify the process of opening a gas station.
In this material:
A gas station business plan will help you understand whether opening it will be profitable and what difficulties you will have to face. First of all, you should decide on the start-up capital required to open a gas station. Working in this area of business involves obtaining a large number of permits, since this industry is recognized as dangerous at the legislative level. Registration of permitting documentation can take a long period and require significant financial investments.
Of course, the company's activities will be audited by the relevant government agencies so that they can ensure that all rules and regulations are being followed. Another characteristic feature of the business of selling fuel to the public is large start-up capital and significant operating costs. Experienced entrepreneurs recommend purchasing a plot of land and equipping it accordingly. The facility will need to be equipped with an alarm system and security guards hired. When opening a gas station from scratch, you must be prepared for the fact that it will take a lot of time to implement the project.
Choosing a project format
Of course, working in this field of activity requires a thoughtful approach. A gas station business plan, a ready-made example of which is given below, is the most important part of the process of starting your own business. First, you need to choose the format in which your enterprise will operate. You can open a gas station under your own brand or purchase a franchise. A gas station can provide services for the sale of gasoline, diesel fuel and gas. Each direction has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Opening a gas station from scratch is not the best idea for a new entrepreneur. Opening such a business requires significant investment compared to operating under the brand name of a well-known enterprise. In addition to the impressive starting capital, you will be faced with the need to develop your own client base and problems with purchasing fuel. This means you risk going bankrupt quickly. However, this format also has its advantages: you can organize the work of a gas station at your own discretion, without adjusting it to the standards of a large company.
Aspiring entrepreneurs are recommended to start their business by purchasing a franchise. Similar services are provided by large well-known companies. Starting to work under the brand of this company, you will not have problems with fuel supply and customer base. The disadvantages of this format are: the inability to act independently, the need to pay a monthly franchise.
Choosing a territory for a gas station
Before starting the construction of a gas station, the following documents must be drawn up: an agreement for the supply of fuel, an agreement for the removal of solid waste, an agreement on rodent control. When opening your own business, you need to choose the territory where the gas station will be located. Typically, such enterprises are built near highways and busy avenues. Convenient access roads should be provided to your gas station. The area of the site depends on the scale of the project. As an example, let’s take the opening of a gas station with a tire service and a small cafe. In addition to these main facilities, it is necessary to locate fuel storage tanks, an administrative building and several gas stations on the territory. It is better to entrust the design and construction of production facilities to professionals.
After all the main facilities have been built, it is necessary to start purchasing equipment.
In order for your gas station to start functioning, you will need the following equipment: tanks for storing fuel, a tank for pumping gasoline, gas pumps, and a storm drain tank. When opening a gas filling station, you will need a slightly different list of equipment. To implement such a project, a tie-in into the city gas pipeline will be required. It is mandatory to install a compressor to liquefy the gas. Opening such stations is expensive, so even in large cities they are available in small quantities.
In addition to the production line, you should also take care of the automation of work processes. To do this, you need to purchase a computer and install the appropriate software. It is necessary to arrange a staff rest room, a cashier's workplace and a bathroom. If you plan to add a store or cafe to the gas station, you will have to equip these premises as well.
The opening of a gas station will not be permitted without the installation of a fire alarm.
Drawing up a contract for the supply of fuel is the most important part of a gas station business plan. Working as a franchise, you will always be provided with high-quality fuel from a well-known brand. Starting a business from scratch, you may face the problem of finding suppliers among oil refining companies. You can enter into a contract for the supply of gasoline with an oil depot, so you can purchase fuel at a good discount.
Taking into account the provision of services around the clock, it will be necessary to organize the work of personnel in several shifts. The optimal schedule is considered to be every three days. The shift should include: a gas station operator, a cashier and a security guard. Additionally, you will need to hire a janitor, accountant and manager.
Calculation of business profitability
Let's give an example of calculating the costs of opening one gas station in a large city. Acquiring ownership of a plot within the city will cost you 25 million rubles, paperwork - 2 million rubles, construction of production facilities - 6.5 million rubles, purchase of equipment - 3 million rubles. Thus, the starting investment when opening a gas station will be 36.5 million rubles.
Now let’s calculate the annual expenses: staff salaries - 5 million rubles, purchase of fuel - 10 million rubles, taxes - 1.5 million rubles, operating expenses - 2 million rubles. The average annual revenue of a gas station is 25 million rubles, minus operating expenses, we get a net profit of 6.5 million rubles. Financial investments will pay off in 5-6 years.
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