Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
This Sunoco program franchises Area Representatives who develop territories for the Sunoco APLUS convenience-store network, recruiting and supporting downstream store franchisees. Area Reps earn a share of franchise fees and royalties rather than running a store themselves.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise requires a total initial investment of $20K – $39K. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $20K – $39K
- 0th pct Food Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 265
- 10th pct Food Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Food Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Food Retail avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $20K – $39K.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 60/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Sunoco Retail LLC
- Parent company
- Sunoco LP
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Joseph Kim
- Incorporated in
- PA
- HQ
- 8111 Westchester Drive, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas 75225
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23K
- vs $23K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Sunoco GP
- Sunoco
- Sunmarks
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph Kim
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 11
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 97% below the typical food retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown7 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area Rep Initial Feenot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Initial Training: Travel and Living Expenses | $3K | $5K | |
| Office Supplies and Equipment (including Computer System) | $3K | $7K | |
| Insurance | $5K | $10K | |
| Professional Fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.) | $2K | $3K | |
| Office Supplies | $500 | $2K | |
| Additional Funds (for first 3 months) | $3K | $7K | |
| Total initial investment | $20K | $39K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $20K – $39K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $7K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Paid to franchisor at signing
- Royalty
- No royalty is paid by the Area Representative to the fran…
- Ad fund
- Area Representatives currently pay no advertising fund. T…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $0 |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
131%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (-1.6% 3-year CAGR) with 265 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Food Retail averages
How Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 265
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.8%
- Company-owned
- 19
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 93%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -1.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 11
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 11 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
11
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
This declining franchise system with undisclosed unit economics, going concern issues, active litigation, and unprotected territories presents high-risk indirect revenue dynamics unsuitable for most investors.
Litigation (Item 3)
Two matters disclosed. Pending: Sunoco (R&M), LLC and Sunoco, LLC v. Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co., Greyhound Aramingo Petroleum Co., and Sergey Gorlov (breach of contract/indemnification over a 2014 gas-station accident; trial court awarded Sunoco a $2,288,802.76 verdict against Greyhound; cross-appeals pending in PA Superior Court). Completed: Kiran Park Newsstand Inc. v. Sunoco, Inc. (EDNY interpleader over an $79,218.01 security deposit; Sunoco dismissed with prejudice in 2018).
Largest disclosed settlement: $2,288,802
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Grant Thornton LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-0.8% YoY) indicates system contraction and potential saturation or performance issues
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents ROI assessment and suggests weak unit economics
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability or uncertainty at franchisor level
- 04HIGHActive litigation involving breach of contract and personal injury liability creates legal and reputational risk
- 05MINORUnprotected territory creates cannibalization risk where ARs compete for same royalty revenue from overlapping stores
- 06MINORMinimum $500/month guarantee appears modest and insufficient to justify $20K-$38.5K investment without growth potential
- 07MINORIndirect revenue model (dependent on APLUS franchisee performance, not direct AR earnings) creates misaligned incentives
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two matters disclosed. Pending: Sunoco (R&M), LLC and Sunoco, LLC v. Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co., Greyhound Aramingo Petroleum Co., and Sergey Gorlov (breach of contract/indemnification over a 2014 gas-station accident; trial court awarded Sunoco a $2,288,802.76 verdict against Greyhound; cross-appeals pending in PA Superior Court). Completed: Kiran Park Newsstand Inc. v. Sunoco, Inc. (EDNY interpleader over an $79,218.01 security deposit; Sunoco dismissed with prejudice in 2018).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 6 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor headquarters in Pennsylvania, the franchised business location, or another designated location including virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise?
The total investment to open a Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise ranges from $20K – $39K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise owners earn?
Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program has 265 total units in the United States, including 246 franchised units and 19 company-owned units.
Is Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 60 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.