Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative ProgramFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program franchise requires a total initial investment of $20K – $39K, including a $5K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $20K – $39K
- 0th pct Food Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1st pct Food Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 265
- 3rd pct Food Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Food Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Food Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1993. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 250 to 246 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $20K – $39K including a $5K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 40/100.
- No 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
- Legal entity
- SUNOCO RETAIL LLC
- Parent company
- Sunoco LP
- 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
Area Representatives serve as middlemen for the Sunoco/APLUS franchise network, recruiting and managing franchisees within assigned territories, earning a $5,000 initial franchise fee split and up to 50% of royalties (minimum $500/month per store) from downstream franchisees. Day-to-day work involves territory development, franchisee recruitment, compliance monitoring, and royalty collection with no guarantee of revenue growth beyond the monthly minimum.
- CEO
- Joseph Kim
- Headquarters
- TX
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 10
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 7 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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $7K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $5K – $5K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Area Representative keeps $5,000 of the APLUS Store initi…
- Ad fund
- AR Brand Fee between $500 to $1,000 per month (if establi…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $650 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Food Retail averages
How Sunoco Retail LLC – Area Representative Program Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 265
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 0.8%
- Company-owned
- 19
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 93%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -0.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 11
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- New York
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 139
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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)
10 case reference(s): 3 pending, 3 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $2
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | Dealer fueling stations supplied under fuel distribution contract |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
10 case reference(s): 3 pending, 3 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 81 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 116 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 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, with an initial franchise fee of $5K. 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 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 250 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 risk score of 40 out of 100, 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.