What Your Tenants Need to Know About Gross Revenue Lease Structures: A Guide for Operator Conversations

What is a gross revenue lease structure?

A gross revenue lease means you pay the operator a percentage of your total sales, as recorded by your point-of-sale system. If you sell $50,000 in a month and your lease rate is 10 percent, you owe $5,000 in rent that month. If you sell $30,000, you owe $3,000. The payment reflects what you actually did, not a fixed amount regardless of how your business performed.

How is my gross revenue verified?

Through HIVE, your operator connects directly to your existing POS system. Square, Lightspeed, Shopify, Moneris, Clover, and most other major systems are supported. HIVE reads your transaction data in real time. You do not need to submit any reports or fill out any forms. The verified figure is what your POS recorded.

What counts as gross revenue?

All sales recorded through your approved POS system. This includes cash, card, mobile payments, and online orders processed through your POS. It does not include refunds and voids that are processed through the same system.

What does not count?

Legitimate refunds and returns processed through your POS are excluded automatically. You do not need to report or justify these separately. HIVE tracks them at the transaction level.

Do I need to report my costs?

No. Gross revenue leasing does not require any cost reporting. Your cost of goods, salaries, rent, and operating expenses are your business. The lease applies only to what you sold.

How do I know the calculation is accurate?

You have access to HIVE BIZ, the vendor-facing portal. You can log in at any time and see your verified gross sales, the percentage calculation, and your settlement amount for the period. The same verified figure your operator sees is available to you. There are no hidden adjustments and no black box calculations.

What if I have a slow month?

Your rent adjusts with your revenue. A difficult month means a lower settlement payment. You are not locked into a fixed amount regardless of performance. This is one of the primary advantages of a GR structure for vendors.

What if I have a strong month?

You pay more in settlement rent, proportional to your sales. Your operator shares in your success. This alignment of interests is the foundation of a healthy long-term operator-vendor relationship.

What happens if my POS goes offline?

Modern POS systems queue transactions during offline periods and sync when connectivity is restored. HIVE monitors connectivity and flags extended offline periods for review. If you experience a genuine technical issue, your operator can review the situation and make adjustments. The system is designed to handle normal technical interruptions without penalizing vendors.

Is this structure common?

Gross revenue lease structures are standard in airports, major shopping centres, food halls, and large event venues worldwide. They are increasingly common in public markets and municipal asset portfolios as verified POS data becomes available. The structure has been used for decades in high-traffic commercial environments.

What do I need to do to connect my POS?

You will receive an invitation through HIVE BIZ to authorize the connection. For Square and Shopify, this is a simple OAuth process that takes about two minutes. For other systems, your operator's HIVE account manager will guide you through the connection. Once connected, everything runs automatically.

Who can I contact if I have questions about my settlement?

Your settlement figures are available in HIVE BIZ at any time. If you have a specific question about a calculation, you can raise it through the platform and your operator will be notified. Having shared access to the same verified data means most questions are answered before they become disputes.