Buying an Ultramar station

What Parkland says

Parkland’s retailer-recruitment page describes “the Company-Owned, Retailer-Operated business model” as “a licensing agreement between Parkland and the retailer” (as published, read Oct 22, 2026). The same page says Parkland covers “major maintenance and utility costs.” None of that tells you what a particular seller owns. If the station is company-owned, what the operator has to sell may be the operating business rather than the real estate; if it sits under a dealer arrangement, the terms may differ. Parkland’s page does not say, and neither does a listing headline.

Questions to ask the seller

• Which agreement does the station operate under, and may you read all of it before you sign anything?
• Who owns the land and the building, and who owns the pumps, tanks and equipment?
• What exactly does the asking price include: property, equipment, inventory, goodwill, the fuel supply or licence rights?
• Does the brand owner have to approve a new operator, and does the agreement allow a transfer at all? Ask about any fee, retraining or upgrade it may require.
• How long does the agreement run, and what happens at its end?
• Who is responsible for environmental conditions on the site, and what records exist?

Consent of the brand owner

Parkland publishes nothing on the page we read about transfers of an existing station, the approval a buyer would need, or any transfer fee. The same questions arise on franchise resales, where the franchisor’s consent is a question for the agreement — who has to approve a franchise resale explains that process — but a station licence is a different document. Read the transfer clause in the actual agreement rather than assuming it works the same way.

The working-capital figure is not a price

Parkland’s published range of $75,000 to $175,000 per location, with an average of approximately $140,000, is working capital for inventory and operating funds. It is not what a station sells for. See the costs page for what it covers and what is not published.

Get the legal advice before you sign

Whether a station agreement is a franchise in law turns on its terms, as set out on the brand page. If it is, the statute’s own terms, including its exclusions and exemptions, decide what rights you have. If it is not, the contract is what you have. A lawyer who has read the agreement can say which.