Lodgehollow Funding Group arranges funding requests for gas stations and convenience stores in New Bern, NC and Craven County. Stations pay for fuel by the load, carry in-store stock and run costly pumps and coolers. This page covers inventory, equipment and purchase financing, what partners require, and County Business Patterns 2023 figures.
| Fuel stations with employees, Craven County, NC | 38 employers (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Employees at stations | 237 (CBP 2023) |
| Stations under five employees | 12, or 31.6% |
| Stations listed in ZIP 28560 | 15 (ZBP 2023) |
| Convenience stores without fuel | 9 employers (CBP 2023) |
Two Inventories Under One Canopy
A gas station runs two kinds of stock. Fuel arrives by the tanker load and may be paid for on delivery or soon after, while it sells gallon by gallon over the following days. Inside, the store carries drinks, snacks, tobacco and household items on supplier terms. Partners may ask how fuel sales and store sales each contribute to the business.
Cash pressure comes from fuel loads arriving before the last one has sold through, from card-processing timing, and from equipment that has to keep working for both sides of the business.
Inventory Financing for Fuel and Store Stock
In-store goods are a standard inventory financing case: stock bought on supplier terms, repaid as it sells. Fuel is harder to finance as inventory because it sells within days, so fuel timing gaps can be covered by a line of credit. Partners will want to see fuel invoices and daily sales to understand the cycle.
Pumps, Coolers and Store Equipment
Dispensers, payment terminals at the pump, walk-in coolers, reach-in cases, food-service equipment and security systems are financed as equipment. Upgrading payment hardware or replacing coolers can be financed the same way. Underground tanks and environmental work are specialized; partners may ask for site reports before funding anything tied to them.
How to Get Funding for a Gas Station You Plan to Buy
A buyer may take over an existing station. A purchase is typically a term loan and is reviewed in depth: the seller's tax returns and financial statements, fuel volume history, store sales, the supply agreement, the condition of the equipment and, where relevant, environmental reports on the site. A purchase may also call for a down payment from the buyer; the partner sets the amount.
Illustrative example only: a buyer agrees a price that includes the building, equipment and $60,000 of opening inventory. Partners typically treat those pieces differently, which is why the purchase agreement should list them separately.
Gas Station Loan Requirements
Gas station financing requirements vary by partner, but a request can include:
- Bank statements plus card-processor statements
- Fuel invoices and monthly gallon volumes
- In-store sales reports by category
- The fuel supply contract and how long it still runs
- Equipment quotes, or for a purchase, the agreement and seller's records
- Site or environmental reports when the partner asks for them
Owner-Operator or Investor?
A partner may look at a station run day to day by its owner differently from one bought by an investor who hires a manager. For an owner-operator, it may ask about experience behind the counter and with the supply relationship; for an investor, about the manager's record and the buyer's other assets. Either way, be ready for questions about how fuel sales and store sales each contribute to profit and how cash from the register is deposited and recorded.
Craven County, NC Fuel and Convenience Counts
County Business Patterns counted 38 gasoline station employer establishments in Craven County in 2023, with 237 employees and $6.6 million in annual payroll. Twelve of them, 31.6%, had fewer than five employees; 15 had a ZIP 28560 address (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023). Another 9 convenience stores without fuel had employees in 2023, all of them with fewer than five, and 14 employees in total.
Nonemployer Statistics counted 5 no-payroll convenience retailers in the county in 2024, at the broader NAICS 2022 level 44513, which includes vending operators. No no-payroll figure was published for gasoline stations. These are separate programs and years from the employer counts.
Related Pages
Grocery stores share the refrigeration and stock questions covered on the grocery store page, and other shops are covered on the retail page. The New Bern, NC data page shows the county's retail sector as a whole.
By Lodgehollow Funding Group · Updated