LexiconExpansion
Opening gate
بوابة الافتتاح
Definition
The opening gate is the Doctrine's four-test rule for signing a new site: satiety (Sb is positive), payback (capex ÷ Sb within 30 months, 18 targeted), a capacity signal (nearby branches full at peak, or visible unserved demand) and replication (the format meets the group's GRI floor). Any failed test means “not yet”.
In plain words
Four questions that must all get a yes before you sign a site, or the answer is “not yet”.
Also searched as
- site gate
- four-test gate
- new branch approval
- site selection test
- بوابة الافتتاح
Try it on your numbers
The Branch Gate applies this rule before you sign the next branch lease: five numbers about the site and one of three verdicts, sign, sign with conditions, or not yet.
Canonical thresholds
| Threshold | Verdict |
|---|---|
| All four tests pass, ≤ 18 months | Sign |
| 18–30 months | Sign only with a written lever plan (rent, capex or format) |
| Any test fails | “Not yet” |
Source: Doctrine §5 · The opening gate · Playbook §2 · Gate 2: Site selection and catchment
Example
Illustrative example · hypothetical figures
A site at 34.8 months on Sb is “not yet”. A smaller format cuts capex to SAR 900,000 and renegotiated rent lifts margin to 20%: Sb = 50,000 − 5,000 − 6,000 = SAR 39,000 and payback 23.1 months. Sign, with the lever plan written into the approval.
Where it is used
In the Doctrine and the Playbook
Related terms
How to cite this definition
Alhajj, S. (2026). “Opening gate”. In The Revenue Engineering Lexicon, version 1.0. Riyadh. https://seiflden.com/lexicon/opening-gate/