Franopolis

    Circle K Standard

    Franchise research report · reviewed 2026 disclosure data

    Reviewed sources

    Circle K franchise operates one of North America's largest convenience store chains, known for fresh food, beverages, and fuel services at thousands of location

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    Headline figures

    Circle K Standard quick facts

    Is Circle K Standard a franchise?
    Yes. Circle K Standard offers franchises through a Franchise Disclosure Document. At the end of 2026, it reported 515 franchised and 5,556 company-owned outlets (2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 86).
    How much does it cost to open a Circle K Standard franchise?
    The Circle K Standard Franchise Disclosure Document reports separate estimated initial investments by format: $1,472,500–$2,874,650 for new/rebuilt store — total investment — excludes acquiring real estate (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 37); $327,500–$1,481,650 for conversion only (store conversion — total investment — excludes acquiring real estate) (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 38); $563,150–$2,172,150 for conversion only (motor fuel conversion — total investment excluding real estate — low initial investment estimate) (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 42); $18,150–$137,150 for branded business — total excluding real estate — low initial investment estimate (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 44); $2,588,150–$7,842,150 for new or rebuilt motor fuel business total investment excluding real estate — low estimate (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 41); $1,462,500 for cover new circle k store total investment — low estimate (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 1); $317,500 for conversion only (cover converted circle k store total investment — low estimate) (2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 1). These formats are not combined. Each is the franchisor's disclosed estimate, not a quote. Details
    What is the Circle K Standard initial franchise fee?
    The disclosed initial franchise fee for a standard single unit is $1,000 (2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 21). Other fee options (for example multi-unit or conversion) are listed separately in the report. Details
    What ongoing fees does Circle K Standard charge?
    The disclosed ongoing royalty is 3.5% (2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 23). Other recurring fees are listed in Item 6. Details
    Does Circle K Standard disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    No. The reviewed Circle K Standard FDD states that it does not make a financial performance representation in Item 19. Details
    How many Circle K Standard locations are there?
    The FDD reports 6,071 outlets at the end of 2026 (2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 86). Existing locations do not indicate territory availability. Details
    Is Circle K Standard a good franchise to buy?
    Franopolis does not rate or recommend franchises. From the reviewed FDD: Item 19 makes no financial performance representation, so ask current owners about results; Item 20 lists outlet openings, closures and transfers; Item 6 lists every recurring fee beyond royalty; Item 20 also lists current and former franchisees you can contact. Review the full FDD with a franchise attorney and accountant before deciding.

    From reviewed FDD figures only. Not a recommendation or projection.

    What the disclosures show

    1. 1The 2026 FDD (Item 7) estimates opening costs separately by format: $1,472,500 – $2,874,650 (New/rebuilt Store — Total investment — excludes acquiring real estate); $327,500 – $1,481,650 (Store conversion — Total investment — excludes acquiring real estate); $563,150 – $2,172,150 (Motor Fuel conversion — Total investment excluding real estate — low initial investment estimate); $18,150 – $137,150 (Branded Business — Total excluding real estate — low initial investment estimate); $2,588,150 – $7,842,150 (New or rebuilt motor fuel business total investment excluding real estate — low estimate); $1,462,500 (Cover new Circle K store total investment — low estimate); $317,500 (Cover converted Circle K store total investment — low estimate); several initial fee options apply.
    2. 2The franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19.
    3. 3Outlets declined by 54 in 2026, to 6,071 (United States, as labeled in the FDD, Item 20).

    From reviewed FDD figures only. Not a recommendation or projection.

    Franchises under $50kOther brands whose disclosed Item 7 low end fits this budget.Compare outlet trendsPut Item 20 counts side by side with up to 3 other brands.

    Circle K Standard head-to-head

    Closest peers in the same subcategory, side by side from reviewed FDD figures. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    Circle K StandardVSSunoco Retail LLC APLUS
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    Circle K StandardVSPetro Stopping Centers
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    Circle K StandardVSTravelCenters of America TA Express Center
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    Circle K StandardVS7-Eleven, Inc.
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    Costs · Items 5–7

    What does it cost to open?

    Estimated opening costs and the fees payable to the franchisor.

    Startup Investment — Item 7

    Range across 7 single-unit formats

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Formats disclosed in Item 7 (7)

    Each format has its own total. The total depends on the format you choose.

    • Branded Business — Total excluding real estate — low initial investment estimatePDF p. 44$18,150 – $137,150
    • Cover converted Circle K store total investment — low estimatePDF p. 1$317,500
    • Store conversion — Total investment — excludes acquiring real estatePDF p. 38$327,500 – $1,481,650
    • Motor Fuel conversion — Total investment excluding real estate — low initial investment estimatePDF p. 42$563,150 – $2,172,150
    • Cover new Circle K store total investment — low estimatePDF p. 1$1,462,500
    • New/rebuilt Store — Total investment — excludes acquiring real estatePDF p. 37$1,472,500 – $2,874,650
    • New or rebuilt motor fuel business total investment excluding real estate — low estimatePDF p. 41$2,588,150 – $7,842,150

    Standard single-unit franchise fee

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 21
    Discounted and multi-unit options are separate; see all fees.

    Ongoing Fees — Item 6

    Selected recurring charges; payment bases and conditions remain attached to each fee.

    Store royalty range; gross sales, monthly ACH 25thMain ongoing fee

    84 reported fees, each with its payment basis, are listed below; they haven't been sorted into recurring, initial and occasional groups yet.

    Financial Performance — Item 19

    What results are disclosed—and for which locations?

    No financial performance representation in Item 19

    The reviewed 2026 FDD for Circle K Standard has no Item 19 figures on record. Franopolis does not estimate revenue or earnings in their place; ask the franchisor and current owners what unit-level information they can share.

    Outlet Changes — Item 20

    How has the outlet count changed?

    United States, as labeled in the FDD · counts as of 2026 of each year.

    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 86

    Net +8 outlets, 2024–2026

    06,06320246,12520256,0712026+62−54

    Year-end counts reported in Item 20. The scale starts at zero, so the line looks nearly flat; the labels between the dots show each year's change. Openings and closures for 2026 haven't been pulled from the Item 20 tables yet, so no turnover or churn is shown.

    Questions to investigate

    Prompts based on what this brand's reviewed disclosures do and don't show — not conclusions. Join free as a member to save questions to your research.

    For the franchisor

    • Which line items in the 2026 Item 7 estimate ($18,150 – $7,842,150) vary most by market, and why?

    • Which initial fee option would apply to my situation, and what conditions or discounts affect it?

    • Circle K Standard reports no financial performance figures in Item 19. What information can you share about unit-level results?

    • Reported units decreased from 6,125 to 6,071 in 2026. What drove the change?

    • Is a territory available in my area, and how is it defined in my agreement?

    For current and former owners

    • How did your actual startup costs and timeline compare with the Item 7 estimate?

    • How many hours a week do you work in the business, and in what role?

    • What support from the franchisor has been most and least useful?

    For your advisors

    • Ask a franchise attorney to review the territory, renewal, transfer and termination terms.

    • Ask an accountant to build a cash-flow plan using your own assumptions, not the franchisor's.

    Sources & vintage history

    Every displayed fact is retained with its disclosure vintage, item, page, and reviewed status. Prior vintages remain on file rather than being overwritten.

    Citations (2026 FDD)

    1. [1]Standard initial franchise fee — Item 5 · PDF p. 21
    2. [2]Outlet counts — Item 20, Table 1 · PDF p. 86

    "PDF p." is the page in the PDF file; "printed p." is the number printed on the FDD page. Source document: FDD

    Territory & operations

    60 addresses in Franopolis's imported location list. Coverage may differ from Item 20 outlet counts.

    These are contract disclosures, not confirmation that any territory is currently available.

    Legal & agreement

    Franchisor financial statements

    Fiscal yearMeasureReported value
    2026royalty and other receivables$18,961,769
    2026current portion of notes receivable from franchisees$1,921,592
    2026total current assets$20,883,361
    2026long-term portion of notes receivable from franchisees$8,392,294
    2026other assets$23,905,102
    2026goodwill$11,490,467
    2026total assets$87,024,454
    2026deferred revenueMore than one value recorded for this year — open the FDD source before comparing$1,215,896
    2026total current liabilities$29,772,422
    2026interest and other revenue$6,020,573
    2026total shareholder's equity$51,249,612
    2026initial franchise sales$1,065,745

    These figures describe the franchisor company, not individual franchise locations.

    SBA-backed loans to franchisees

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    Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) & 504 FOIA data. Loan volume is not a measure of franchisee success.

    Related research

    Brands in the same subcategory first, then the wider industry, ordered by shared business format, overlapping investment range, Item 20 outlet count and search interest. This is not a ranking or recommendation.

    Sunoco Retail LLC APLUSPetro Stopping CentersTravelCenters of America TA Express Center7-Eleven, Inc.Circle K Existing Locations TMC Franchise CorpHoliday Stationstores

    Head-to-head comparisons

    Circle K Standard vs Sunoco Retail LLC APLUSCircle K Standard vs Petro Stopping CentersCircle K Standard vs TravelCenters of America TA Express CenterCircle K Standard vs 7-Eleven, Inc.Circle K Standard vs Circle K Existing Locations TMC Franchise CorpCircle K Standard vs Holiday Stationstores
    Compare reviewed facts

    At a glance

    Business history

    Not reviewed

    Owner participation

    Not reviewed

    Territory language

    Litigation disclosure

    Not reviewed

    Bankruptcy disclosure

    Not reviewed

    Agreement term

    Not reviewed

    Reader notes on wording

    Our automated check found that these summaries may not match the FDD's exact wording. Read the FDD excerpt itself; it is the authoritative text. Core cost, fee, Item 19 and outlet figures are not affected.

    • Item 20 · PDF p. 86 · 2026 FDD

      Our summary: Table 1 Systemwide 2024 — End of year

      “2024 5928 6063 +135”

      Note: Item 20 claim is state/geography-specific or not a national/systemwide Total row; it cannot be verified under the required scope.

    • Item 20 · PDF p. 86 · 2026 FDD

      Our summary: Table 1 Systemwide 2024 — Start of year

      “2024 5928 6063 +135”

      Note: Item 20 claim is state/geography-specific or not a national/systemwide Total row; it cannot be verified under the required scope.

    Independent analysis of franchisor-provided data. Not investment advice. Franopolis does not distribute FDDs.

    Compare Circle K Standard with…

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