How Wawa is run
Wawa says it does not franchise its stores. (Wawa real estate FAQ)
Selling or leasing a site to Wawa
Wawa's real estate team takes site submissions from landowners and developers, territory by territory, and may take part in build-to-suit deals on a limited basis. (Wawa real estate FAQ)
Franchises like Wawa
If you want to own a convenience store business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Wawa, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-ElevenFee $0–$800K · Royalty Share of gross profit | $165K–$1.62M | $0–$800K | Share of gross profit | 8,303−502 in 3 yrs | – |
| Circle KFee $25K · Royalty 3.5–6% | $1.47M–$2.87M | $25K | 3.5–6% | 6,071+143 in 3 yrs | – |
| Holiday StationstoresFee $25K · Royalty 3.5% + fuel per gallon | $3.36M–$7.74M | $25K | 3.5% + fuel per gallon | 538+7 in 3 yrs | – |
| RacewayFee $25K · Royalty $1,000/mo | $198K–$585K | $25K | $1,000/mo | 237+24 in 3 yrs | – |
| Family FareFee $10K · Royalty 56% of gross profit | $30K–$1.17M | $10K | 56% of gross profit | 102+9 in 3 yrs | – |
| Dash InFee $25K · Royalty 30% of gross profit | $120K–$680K | $25K | 30% of gross profit | 55+1 in 3 yrs | – |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
7-Eleven is the largest, with 8,303 US locations, and Family Fare costs least to open, from $30,300. Circle K added the most locations, +143 over 3 years. The typical retail franchise starts at $198K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these convenience store franchises loses the fewest owners?
Family Fare. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 9.9% a year at Circle K. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand