Convenience Store Planning & Budget Center
Everything between the idea and the drawings: how to open a store, what it costs, how big to build, seven floor plans with printable PDFs, budget tools and checklists.
Most store projects go wrong before anything is built. The budget was a guess, the building was too small for the food program, or the cooler wall came up short. This center collects the numbers and decisions to settle first, while changing them is still cheap.
New to the business? Starting a Store covers how to open a store or gas station, startup costs, how stores make money, buying vs. building and the latest industry statistics. Already decided? Start with the tools to rough out a budget and a cooler wall. Then use the cost guides to test that budget, the size guides to choose a format, the checklists to line up permits and decisions before construction, and the state guides to see which agencies license a store where you're building. When you have a site and a plan, our design-build services turn it into drawings and an installed store.
Third-party cost figures on these pages are cited to their source. They are planning ranges from contractor and industry publications, not quotes, and costs vary widely by region.
Starting a Store
For owners and investors still deciding what to build, buy or open.
- How to open a c-storeThe ten steps from idea to opening day, in the order they happen, with the industry numbers that shape each decision.
- How to start a gas stationWhat makes a gas station different from any other retail start-up: fuel supply, tank regulation, the forecourt budget, and the store that carries the profit.
- Startup costsBeyond the building: every line a new owner has to fund before the first sale, including the ones that get left out of early budgets.
- How c-stores make moneyFuel brings the traffic, the store makes the money. Here is how the profit splits, using NACS's 2025 industry data, and what it means for design.
- Industry statisticsThe numbers behind the industry in one place: store count, ownership, sales, fuel, food and store formats, each with its source.
- Buy or build?Buying gives you sales history and speed; building gives you the store you want. How the two compare, and the middle route most buyers end up on.
- Buying checklistWhat to verify before you buy a store, from the books to the tanks to the walk-in cooler, so the price reflects what you're actually getting.
- Franchise vs. independentA franchise sells you a system; independence keeps you free to choose. How they compare, and the fuel-brand option in between.
- Choosing a locationThe site decides more of a store's success than anything inside it. The factors to check, and how each one shapes the building.
- Business planThe sections lenders and partners expect, what goes in each one, and where a floor plan makes the numbers credible.
- How to open a liquor storeLiquor stores are licensed first and designed second. The steps in order, and the layout decisions that matter most.
Planning Tools
Rough out a budget and a cooler wall before you talk to anyone.
- ToolBudget estimatorEnter your store size and project type for a planning range covering the building, the store design and an optional beer cave.
- ToolCooler wall plannerEnter the number of glass doors you want to see how long the cooler wall runs and how much floor the walk-in behind it takes.
- ToolEquipment list builderChoose your food program, fuel and beverage options for a printable list of the equipment a store like yours typically needs.
- ToolFood-service paybackEnter what adding food would cost and what it would sell to see the added monthly profit and how long it takes to pay back.
- ToolRefrigeration energy costEnter each unit's daily energy use and your electricity rate to estimate what your refrigeration costs to run each month and year.
Costs & Financing
What stores, remodels and beer caves cost, and how owners pay for them.
- Cost to build a c-storePublished 2026 ranges for the building, all-in examples with fuel, and the line items that decide where your store lands.
- Remodel costA remodel can be a refresh or a near-rebuild. What decides the budget is how much of the store's systems have to change.
- Beer cave costPublished costs for beer caves by size, what drives the price, and the questions that decide whether one pays off in your store.
- Financing a storeThe SBA loan programs most store owners look at, what they allow, the down payment rules for gas stations, and what a lender will ask for.
Store Sizes & Floor Plans
How big a store to build, and how the floor works at each size.
- Store sizes comparedThe standard store formats from kiosk to large-format, and how your menu, cooler wall and site decide which one to build.
- 1,200 sq ft floor planA fuel-first store where every foot counts: a short cooler wall, two gondolas, coffee and a checkout that sees everything.
- 1,800 sq ft floor planBig enough for a real cooler wall, three gondolas and a roller-grill food program, small enough to run with one or two staff.
- 2,500 sq ft floor planThe most common store size, laid out zone by zone: cooler wall at the back, gondolas through the middle, checkout by the door.
- 3,400 sq ft with food serviceThe size where a real kitchen fits: the kitchen takes a back corner, the serving line faces the floor and the cooler wall keeps its place.
- 4,000 sq ft with seatingWhere food becomes a reason to visit: a full kitchen, a serving line, a few tables and restrooms planned around diners.
- 5,000 sq ft floor planA large-format store with a kitchen, seating and a beer cave, and how to keep five destinations from competing for the same aisle.
- Travel center floor planTwo entrances, two kinds of customer: how a travel center keeps car traffic and professional drivers moving without crossing paths.
Checklists
The decisions and permits to line up before construction starts.
State-by-State Guides
The agencies, licenses and permits for opening a store in each state, linked to the official sources.
- OklahomaFuel tanks, beer and wine, tobacco, food service, sales tax and lottery: who issues each Oklahoma license and what it means for your store design.
- TexasFuel tanks, beer and wine, tobacco and vapor, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Texas license and what it means for your store design.
- MissouriFuel tanks, alcohol, tobacco, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Missouri license and what it means for your store design.
- LouisianaFuel tanks, alcohol, tobacco and vapor, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Louisiana license and what it means for your store design.
- New MexicoFuel tanks, alcohol, tobacco, food service, gross receipts tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each New Mexico license and what it means for your store design.
- FloridaFuel tanks, alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Florida license and what it means for your store design.
- ArkansasFuel tanks, beer and wine, tobacco and vapor, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Arkansas license and what it means for your store design.
- KansasFuel tanks, beer, tobacco and e-cigarettes, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Kansas license and what it means for your store design.
- GeorgiaFuel tanks, beer and wine, tobacco and vapor, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each Georgia license and what it means for your store design.
- North CarolinaFuel tanks, beer and wine, tobacco and vapor, food service, sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery: who issues each North Carolina license and what it means for your store design.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a convenience store?
How big should a convenience store be?
Are the tool results a quote?
Ready for real numbers?
Turn a planning range into a quote for your store
JayComp Development has designed and built more than 2,500 convenience stores, liquor stores and travel centers since 1996, from Ravia, Oklahoma to all 50 states. We design the store, then supply and install the equipment.
Send the site, the store type and your timing. Quotes are free, with no obligation.
Request a design-build quote
Or call (877) 843-0183.