Investment
The Economics of Fuel Stations and Service Plazas: From Corner Grocery to High-Liquidity Daily-Needs Retail Hub
The fuel station is no longer “pumps, a tire shop, and a grocery” — after the operator qualification program restricted operations to accredited companies, it became a daily-needs retail plaza with long institutional leases. The complete investor’s and landowner’s guide: the mandatory-footfall philosophy and the drive-thru magnet, station categories and site restrictions by official figures, three investment models (ground lease, co-development, operation), and a fully transparent feasibility study: 33.9% on construction cost and 12.2% all-in including land — plus the engineering and environmental red flags to check before buying.
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