A petrol station business is a very profitable venture to start in South Africa. A large number of people in South Africa make use of fuel on a regular basis. As long as they are cars on the road and more are being bought, there will always be a need for filling stations. With more than 300 000 cars being sold each year, and the increase in demand for public transportation the demand for fuel will keep going up. There is no doubt that a filling station business is something that you can explore. A country that has about 30% of its households with their own vehicles is a good place to open such a business. Petrol consumption from petrol stations in South Africa is about 8 billion liters per year, while for diesel is about 4 billion liters per year, that’s a huge market! There is also a high demand for other petroleum products such as paraffin and gas that you can also sell at your fuel station. In addition, you can add other businesses to increase your earning potential. Setting up a convenience store, a repair shop, coffee shop or restaurant in addition to your to petrol station can increase your earning potential. This article will outline how to start a petrol station business in South Africa, and the petrol station business plan – PDF, Word and Excel.
A petrol station is a lucrative business, providing income for thousands of South African entrepreneurs, but there are some essential factors you need to consider before venturing into this type of business. You need to decide on the size of your filling station; location, the various products and services you plan on providing, plus your target market. These factors will be determined by the amount of capital you have. It is therefore important to carry out a feasibility study, do market research and have a good petrol station business plan before you venture into this type of business.
LOCATION
The locations and premises of your petrol station is an important decision to make before you start your business. It’s also important that you locate your petrol service station close to your target market. Consider the amount of road traffic, and find an easily accessible location where people can stop and quickly get your services. There are several possible locations, including shopping centres, malls, highway , residential areas and the CBD. Opening a petrol station close to places that typically have potential for traffic will be ideal. It is important to be strategic about your neighbouring businesses because you are more than likely to feed into each other instead of competing. If you open a petrol service station business in an overly saturated area, the likelihood that your business will succeed will be low.
PREMISES AND EQUIPMENT
You require buildings which will act as your business offices. Ideally these should be at the same premises with your filling station. If you plan to have a convenience store, then you will also need a shop building. You also require a petrol station canopy. This is the structural canopy which will house the fuel dispensers. The major equipment required for a petrol station in South Africa include fuel dispensers, storage tanks, fill pipes, gas dispensers among others. Your filling station business plan should cater for the costs of the buildings and equipment acquisition.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The major products for your fuel station are petrol and diesel. Your target niche will determine the other kind of products and services you will provide. You can sell lubricants, heating and lighting oils as well as operate a convenience store or a car wash. Whichever facility you decide on opening, ensure that you provide quality products and services. Also, in order for your business to be profitable make sure that you invest in the right equipment and infrastructure for your petrol station. It is always best to invest in the right equipment in order for you to provide the best products and services to your customers. Your fuel station business plan should outline the various products and services you will provide.
STAFF & MANAGEMENT
As a customer-centric petrol station, it’s important that you hire employees that are friendly and efficient. Your employees should be passionate about serving your clients. If you want to hit the ground running it’s better to hire a team of people who have experience in the petrol station business. Your employees should be able to provide quality services and serve customers efficiently on a regular basis. Inexperienced staff members may need to get extensive training before they can be given intricate tasks. The equipment and machinery used at a petrol station can cause serious injury so it is important to take proper precautions. Depending on the size of your petrol station, the actual number of your staff will vary however, you will need cleaners, security, petrol attendants, cashiers, office staff, as well as management. Your petrol service station business plan should cater for the salaries and day to day operational expenses of your business.
Some of the day-to-day operations of a petrol station include:
- Attending customers
- Communicating with customers
- Security, monitoring the facility and customers vehicles
- Managing Staff
- Operating a convenience store, car wash or any other business in addition to your petrol station
MARKET
The need for petrol stations is driven by car purchases and mostly by the transportation industry as well as the general increase in consumer spending. A lot of individuals have cars and they all need fuel. Since more cars are bought yearly, the need for petrol stations will also increase. There has been a lot of cars on the South African roads and a large number of the population make use of public transportation such as taxis, and buses. There is a lot of companies and organisations with a fleet of vehicles that need fuel on a regular basis. Also, there are plenty of courier services companies, car rental companies, taxis and bus companies in addition to individuals that will require fuel on a regular basis.
PETROL STATION FRANCHISES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Operating a petrol station business in South Africa can be done either as an independent petrol station or as part of a franchise. As a franchisee, you will be managing your business while benefiting from the expertise, training programs and operational support from the franchise network. Each petrol station franchise brand has unique requirements for the application process. There are many petrol station franchise brands in South Africa to choose from. Some petrol station franchise brands to consider are
- Engen
- Caltex
- Shell
- Total
- BP
- Sasol
The amount of investment required by the Franchisee to purchase the business varies with each brand, as well as from site to site, and depends on variables such as turnover, location, competitors, and ownership of the property.
IS A PETROL STATION A GOOD INVESTMENT?
The petrol station industry is a competitive industry with a number of large and small companies dominating the market. However, it is still possible for you to own your own filling station or even go the less risky route by becoming a franchise. Many might find operating as a franchise limiting but being a franchisee can help you operate your business as part of an existing chain. Of course, building your petrol station own brand from scratch can be just as rewarding if done well. Whatever route you decide to take, investing in a petrol station in South Africa is a profitable venture, but obviously, this will depend on many factors such as your target market, costs and management. Apart from the obvious advantages of becoming financially independent and becoming your own boss, running a petrol station can be a rewarding way of uplifting your community.
Given that the South African market is one of the leading emerging economies on the African continent there is potential for high growth. The economy has been growing steadily over the years. Whether you are a young entrepreneur, a professional seeking to start your own business or someone who needs a retirement plan, investing in a fuel station is something worth considering. One thing that can set you apart before investing in any venture is developing a business plan. A well thought out petrol station business plan will help you in both the short and long term. Also, there are various risks associated with running a petrol station, like any other business venture, your business plan should clearly outline these risks and the different ways to minimise them.
PRE-WRITTEN PETROL STATION BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL): COMPREHENSIVE VERSION, SHORT FUNDING/BANK LOAN VERSION AND AUTOMATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For an in-depth analysis of the petrol station business in South Africa, purchase our petrol station business plan. We decided to introduce the business plans after noting that many South Africans were venturing into the filling station business without a full understanding of the industry, market, how to run the business, the risks involved, profitability of the business and the costs involved, leading to a high failure rate of their businesses.
Our business plan will make it easier for you to launch and run a petrol service station business successfully, fully knowing what you are going into, and what’s needed to succeed in the business. It will be easier to plan and budget as the petrol station business plan will lay out all the costs involved in setting up and running the business. The business plan is designed specifically for the South African market.
USES OF THE PETROL STATION BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL)
The filling station business plan can be used for many purposes including:
- Raising capital from investors/friends/relatives
- Applying for a bank loan
- Start-up guide to launch your petrol station company
- As a petrol station business project proposal
- Assessing profitability of the fuel station business
- Finding a business partner
- Assessing the initial start-up costs so that you know how much to save
- Manual for current business owners to help in business and strategy formulation
CONTENTS OF THE PETROL SERVICE STATION BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL)
The business plan includes, but not limited to:
- Market Analysis
- Industry Analysis
- 5 Year Automated Financial Statements [ Income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, monthly cash flow projections (3 years monthly cash flow projections, the remaining two years annually),break even analysis, payback period analysis, start-up costs, financial graphs, revenue and expenses, Bank Loan Amortisation]
- Marketing Strategy
- Risk Analysis
- SWOT & PEST Analysis
- Operational Requirements
- Operational Strategy
- Why some South Africans in the petrol station business fail, so that you can avoid their mistakes
- Ways to raise capital to start your petrol station business in South Africa
The Petrol Station Business Plan package consist of 4 files
- Petrol Station Business Plan – PDF file (Comprehensive – 86 pages)
- Petrol Station Business Plan – Editable Word File (Comprehensive – 86 pages)
- Petrol Station Business Plan Funding Version – Editable Word File (Short version for applying for a loan – 45 pages)
- Petrol Station Business Plan Automated Financial Statements – (Editable Excel file)
The financial statements are automated. This implies that you can change eg the costs, amount of fuel sold etc, and all the other financial statements will automatically adjust to reflect the change.
GET THE PETROL STATION BUSINESS PLAN (PDF, WORD AND EXCEL) - R500 Only.
We decided to make the business plan affordable to anyone who would want to start the business, and the price for the pre-written business plan is only 500 Rand.
We have several payment methods which you can use.
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The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on sales@bizbolts.co.za and we will assist you.
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If you want to purchase multiple business plans at once using Instant EFT then click here: Business Plans Store
The business plan package is a zipped compressed file containing the PDF, Word and Excel documents. To open the package after downloading it, just right click, and select Extract All. If you have any problems in downloading and opening the files, email us on sales@bizbolts.co.za and we will assist you.
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