7-Eleven

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7-Eleven, Inc.
Formerly
  • Southland Ice Company (1927)
  • Tote'm Stores (1928–1946)
  • Southland Corporation (1961–1999)
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail (convenience stores)
Founded1927; 97 years ago (1927) (as Southland Ice Company)
FounderJoe C. Thompson
Headquarters,
United States
Number of locations
84,500 (2024)
Area served
Key people
  • Joseph DePinto (
    EVP & CFO)
  • Marissa Jarratt (CMO)
ProductsConvenience foods and beverages, gasoline
OwnerSeven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. (Seven & I Holdings)
Number of employees
135,332[1] (2021)
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.7-eleven.com

7-Eleven, Inc.[2] is a convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas and owned by Japanese company Seven & I Holdings through Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.[3] The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. After Ito-Yokado, a Japanese supermarket chain and the parent company of Seven-Eleven Japan, acquired a 70% stake in the company in 1991, the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan in November, 2005.[4][5]

7-Eleven operates, franchises and licenses 84,500 stores in 19 countries and territories as of January 2024.[citation needed] While operating under its namesake brand globally, within the United States it operates as 7-Eleven nationally, as Speedway nationally but mostly in the Midwest & East Coast, and as Stripes Convenience Stores within the West South Central United States. Both Speedway and Stripes operate alongside 7-Eleven's namesake stores in several markets. 7-Eleven also operates A-Plus locations with the name licensed from owner and fellow Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex-based Energy Transfer Partners, though most of these stores have since been rebranded as standard 7-Eleven stores.

7-Eleven settled class action lawsuits in Australia relating to wage theft and misleading franchisees, paying around A$270 million in settlements since 2020.[6]

Etymologies

The company's first outlets were in Dallas, named "Tote'm Stores" because customers "toted" away their purchases. Some stores featured "native" totem poles in front of the store. In 1946, the chain's name was changed from "Tote'm" to "7-Eleven" to reflect the company's new, extended hours, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days per week.[7] In November 1999, the corporate name of the US company was changed from "The Southland Corporation" to "7-Eleven Inc."[8][9]

Since 1968, 7-Eleven's logos have included a lowercase n. The first wife of John P. Thompson Sr., the company's president during the 1960s,[10] thought the all-capitals version seemed a little aggressive. She suggested the change "to make the logo look more graceful".[11]

History

Logo used from 1989 to 2021, still seen in some stores. A variation of this logo is still used by Seven-Eleven Japan.

In 1927, Southland Ice Company employee named John Jefferson Green began selling ice, then he started selling eggs, milk, and bread from one of 16 ice house storefronts in Dallas, with permission from one of Southland's founding directors, Joe C. Thompson Sr.[12] Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were available, Thompson theorized that selling products such as bread and milk in convenience stores would reduce the need for customers to travel long distances for basic items. Thompson eventually bought the Southland Ice Company and turned it into the Southland Corporation, which oversaw several locations in the Dallas area.[7]

In 1928, a manager named Jenna Lira brought a totem pole from Alaska and placed it in front of her store. The pole served as a marketing tool for the company, as it attracted a great deal of attention. Soon, executives added totem poles in front of every store and eventually adopted an Alaska Native-inspired theme for their stores. Later on, the stores began operating under the name "Tote'm Stores". In the same year, the company began constructing filling stations in some of its Dallas locations as an experiment. Joe Thompson also provided a distinct characteristic to the company's stores, training the staff so that people would receive the same quality and service in every store. Southland also started to have a uniform for its ice station service boys. This became the major factor in the company's success as a retail convenience store.[citation needed]

In 1931, the Great Depression affected the company, sending it toward bankruptcy. Nevertheless, the company continued its operations through re-organization and receivership. A Dallas banker, W. W. Overton Jr., also helped to revive the company's finances by selling the company's bonds for seven cents on the dollar. This brought the company's ownership under the control of a board of directors.[13]

In 1946, in an effort to continue the company's post-war recovery, the name of the franchise was changed to 7-Eleven to reflect the stores' new hours of operation (7 am to 11 pm), which were unprecedented at the time. In 1963, 7-Eleven experimented with a 24-hour schedule in Austin, Texas, after an Austin store stayed open all night to satisfy customer demand.[7] Later on, 24-hour stores were established in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, as well as Las Vegas, Nevada.[14] In 1971, Southland acquired convenience stores of the former Pak-A-Sak chain owned by Graham Allen Penniman Sr. (1903–1985), of Shreveport, Louisiana.[15][16]

With the purchase in 1963 of 126 Speedee Mart (all already open 7–11) franchised convenience stores in California, the company entered the franchise business. The company signed its first area licensing agreement in 1968 with Garb-Ko, Inc. of Saginaw, Michigan, which became the first U.S. domestic area 7-Eleven licensee.

In the late 1980s, Southland Corporation was threatened by a rumored corporate takeover, prompting the Thompson family to take steps to convert the company into a private model by buying out public shareholders in a tender offer.[17] In December 1987, John Philp Thompson Sr., the chairman and CEO of 7-Eleven, completed a $5.2 billion management buyout of the company.[18] The buyout suffered from the effects of the 1987 stock market crash and after failing initially to raise high yield debt financing, the company was required to offer a portion of stock as an inducement to invest in the company's bonds.[19][20]

Various assets, such as the Chief Auto Parts chain,[21] the ice division,[22] and hundreds of store locations,[23] were sold between 1987 and 1990 to relieve debt incurred during the buyout. This downsizing also resulted in numerous metropolitan areas losing 7-Eleven stores to rival convenience store operators. In October 1990, the heavily indebted Southland Corp. filed a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to transfer control of 70% of the company to Japanese affiliate Ito-Yokado.[24]

Southland exited bankruptcy in March 1991, after a cash infusion of $430 million from Ito-Yokado and Seven-Eleven Japan. These two Japanese entities now controlled 70% of the company, with the founding Thompson family retaining 5 percent.[25] In 1999, Southland Corp. changed its name to 7-Eleven, Inc., citing the divestment of operations other than 7-Eleven.[26] In 2005, Seven-Eleven Japan made a tender offer and 7-Eleven, Inc. became its wholly owned subsidiary.[5] In 2007, Seven & i Holdings announced that it would be expanding its U.S. operations, with an additional 1,000 7-Eleven stores in the U.S.

For the 2010 rankings, 7-Eleven climbed to the No. 3 spot in Entrepreneur magazine's 31st Annual Franchise 500, "the first and most comprehensive ranking in the world". This was the 17th year 7-Eleven was named in the top 10.

Also in 2010, the first "green" 7-Eleven store opened in DeLand, Florida. The store features U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) elements. Also, the environmentally friendly design brings the store savings in energy costs. That same year, 7-Eleven went mobile with the launch of the Slurpee drink's iPhone and Android Application (App). The Slurpee drink app made it easy to find 7-Eleven stores and provides driving directions. The following year, 7-Eleven celebrated its 40,000th store opening and within two years of that milestone opened its 60,000th store.

In 2020, 7-Eleven announced it would purchase Speedway for $21 billion.[27]

In 2021, 7-Eleven rolled out a $70 million ad campaign, their largest investment in advertising in years, doubling their market spending from the previous year. The commercials, directed by Harmony Korine, are to reflect the "evolution" of the chain's store format, drawing attention to, in part, the fact that "this isn't just gas station food, there's real restaurant quality food at 7-Eleven", according to CMO Marissa Jarrantt.[28][29][30]

Products and services

7-Eleven in the United States sells

energy drinks
, juices, donuts, financial services, and product delivery services.

7-Eleven is known for its relatively large drink sizes and 24-hour accessibility. 7-Eleven offers beverages in sizes as large as 128 ounces (3785 mL) (Team Gulp). These beverage sizes were all among the largest sold soft drinks when they were introduced.[38] 7-Eleven has often been associated with these large sodas in popular culture. For example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on large sodas in New York City was frequently referred to as the 'Big Gulp ban' (even though the ban would not apply to 7-Eleven as convenience and grocery stores in New York are regulated by the state).[39]

In 2012, 7-Eleven changed the size of the Double Gulp from 64 ounces to 50 ounces (1478 mL). The older style cups were too wide at the base, and did not fit vehicle beverage holders. This was not a reaction to the aforementioned large soda ban proposal, according to a spokesperson.[40] In February 2020, they opened a cashier-less location at the 7-Eleven headquarters in Irving, Texas.[41]

Global operations

Asia

Cambodia

On August 30, 2021, 7-Eleven and Thailand's

Chroy Changvar district. The company hinted at plans to open at least six more stores in Phnom Penh in 2021.[42]
According to plans, products from local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sold in 7-Eleven in Cambodia will comprise at least 50 percent of the stock.

China

A 7-Eleven store in Beijing, China

7-Eleven opened its first store in China in Shenzhen, Guangdong in 1992 and later expanded to Beijing in 2004, Tianjin and Shanghai in 2009, Chengdu[43] in 2011, Qingdao in 2012, Chongqing in 2013, Hangzhou and Ningbo in 2017, Nanjing in 2018, and Wuhan, Xi'an, and Fuzhou in 2019. In China's 7-Eleven stores where Slurpees are offered, the Chinese name 思乐冰 (sīlèbīng) is used. They also offer a wide array of warm food, including traditional items like steamed buns, and stores in Chengdu offer a full variety of onigiri (饭团). Beverages, alcohol, candy, periodicals, and other convenience items are available as well. The majority of these stores are open for 24 hours a day. As of September 2021, 7-Eleven has 2,582 stores in Mainland China.[44]

Hong Kong

7-Eleven store in Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong

7-Eleven first opened in Hong Kong in 1981, when it was a British colony. As of July 2019, it operates as a subsidiary of the DFI Retail Group (formerly Dairy Farm International). It is popularly called tsat jai (七仔, meaning "little seven") or se fun (些粉, based on the English "seven"). As of 2012, 7-Eleven had 964 stores in Hong Kong, of which 563 were operated by franchisees.[45] Hong Kong reportedly has the second-highest density of 7-Eleven stores, after Macao. All 7-Eleven stores in Hong Kong accept the ubiquitous Octopus card as a method of payment.[46] They also accept payments for utility bills and public housing rent.[47]

In November 1980, Southland Corporation and Hong Kong conglomerate Jardine Matheson signed a franchise agreement to bring 7-Eleven to the territory.[48] The first 7-Eleven shop opened in Happy Valley on April 3, 1981.[49][50] The chain expanded aggressively across Hong Kong throughout the 1980s. The 50th store opened in Kwai Chung on October 6, 1983, while the 200th was inaugurated by Simon Keswick at Tai Po Centre on May 7, 1987.[51][52] The stores were sold to Dairy Farm, part of the Jardine Matheson group, in 1989.[53]

Octopus card readers were introduced in all 7-Eleven stores in July 1999, although at first these could only be used to add value to the card.

SCMP Retailing (HK). The chain's 84 shops, located mainly in MTR and Kowloon–Canton Railway stations (as well as shopping centers and housing estates), were converted to 7-Eleven stores.[56][57]

In 2009, a 7-Eleven location in

This feature was subsequently extended to select other 7-Eleven locations across Hong Kong under the "Daily Café" and "Hot Shot" brands.

India

On 7 October 2021, Reliance Retail announced its partnership with 7-Eleven to open its stores in India.[59] The announcement came a day after Future Group, another retail conglomerate, announced the end of its partnership with 7-Eleven, citing the inability to meet the target of opening stores and payment of franchisee fees. The first 7-Eleven in India opened in Mumbai on 9 October 2021 at Blue Fortuna, Military Road, Marol, Andheri East. Initially opened as a 24 hours outlet it was soon curtailed to shut its doors at 12:00am.[60]

Indonesia

In 2008, 7-Eleven announced plans to expand its business in Indonesia through a master franchise agreement with Modern Sevel Indonesia. Modern Sevel Indonesia's initial plans were to focus on opening stores in Jakarta, targeting densely populated commercial and business areas.[61] There were 190 7-Eleven stores in Indonesia as of 2014 which then reduced to only 166 stores in September 2016.

7-Eleven then closed its doors in Indonesia in 2017,[62] citing low sales.

Israel

In October 2021, it was announced across Israeli media that 7-Eleven had signed a contract with Electra Consumer Products to open hundreds of stores in Israel. The first Israeli 7-Eleven location opened in January 2023 at Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Center.[63] Under the agreement with 7-Eleven, Electra will open a further approximately 400 branded stores in Israel, 300 of them through franchisees.[64]

Japan