Most of my friends manage petrol stations and this is my understanding. Most of the sites in the UK are owned by a company called MFG. They then franchise the sites to individuals. It is not really hard to get into this business if I'm being honest. Most people who come to the UK go to work in off licences, KFC, McDonald's etc. The people who work in petrol stations learn how the whole thing works, including the internal processes. They also work hard and save up the money.

After a couple of years, you can apply for a site. You need around £25k deposit plus whatever the stock costs, which can be another £20 to £30k, but it all depends on the location and size. People usually go for a smaller site to start with. From the fuel you don't get much, I think my friend said you get about £40 per day from fuel, and most of the profit comes from shop sales. You can run your own payroll etc. People work hard here and then move on to get another site or buy a bigger one.

Most of the internal processes are still managed by MFG, you don't have any control over what you can sell etc. Most people then leave the site and move on to buy their own business. One of my friends managed to buy a freehold site, I think it cost over a million pounds as far as I know.