7-Eleven

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For other uses, see 7-Eleven (disambiguation).
7-Eleven, Inc.
Company typeIndirect subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Company, a Japan-based organization.
IndustryRetail (Convenience stores)
FoundedOak Cliff, Texas, USA (1927)
HeadquartersJapan 8-8 Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 102-8455
United States One Arts Plaza, 1722 Routh Street, Suite 1000, Dallas, Texas, USA 75201
Key people
Toshifumi Suzuki, Chairman
Joseph M. DePinto, President/CEO
Masa Asakura, EVP/COO
ProductsSlurpee® Beverage
Big Gulp® Beverage Cup
RevenueIncrease$10.882 billion USD (2003)
Number of employees
31,500 (2004)
ParentSeven & I Holdings Co., Ltd.
Websitewww.7-eleven.com
www.7andi.com

7-Eleven is an international franchiser, licensor, and operator of a chain of convenience stores. It is also, since March 2007, the largest chain store in all categories, beating McDonald's by 1,000 stores.[1] Its stores are located in eighteen countries, with its largest markets being Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and Thailand (in that order).

7-Eleven is a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Co. of Japan.

Among 7-Eleven's offerings are private label products, including Slurpee, a partially frozen beverage introduced in 1967[2], and the Big Gulp introduced in 1980[2] that packaged soft drinks in large cups ranging in size from 20 to 64 fluid ounces.

Company background

The company was founded in 1927 in Dallas, Texas, USA, when an employee of Southland Ice Company, Joe C. Thompson, started selling milk, eggs and bread from an ice dock.[3] The original location was an improvised storefront at Southland Ice Company, an ice-manufacturing plant. Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were present in the immediate area, the managers of the ice plant discovered that selling "convenience items" such as bread and milk were popular. Eventually, several locations would open up in the Dallas area. Initially, these stores were open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., hours unprecedented in their length, hence the name. The company began to use the 7-Eleven name in 1946. By 1952, 7-Eleven opened its 100th store.

In 1962, 7-Eleven first experimented with a 24-hour schedule in Austin, Texas.[4] In 1963, 24-hour stores were established in Las Vegas, Fort Worth, and Dallas.[5]

Products and services

1.2 L Super Big Gulp

In addition to Slurpee and the Big Gulp, 7-Eleven would come to own or operate several brands and concepts, including Reddy Ice (the evolution of the original company ice operation); Movie Quik, an in-store video-rental service; Citgo, the gas brand sold at many locations up until 2006; as well as Chief Auto Parts, which had locations adjacent to or near several 7-Eleven locations.

The Big Gulp fountain drink brand also refers to the name of the 32-ounce (1 litre) fountain drink, the Big Gulp. There is also a 44-oz. (or a smaller 1.2 L, depending on region) size (Super Big Gulp), a 64-oz. (2 l) size (Double Gulp), and a 16-oz. (0.5 l) size (Gulp). In 2005, 7-Eleven began selling its own brand of bottled drinks under the Big Gulp brand name in North America.

Since 2005, the company has offered 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless, a pre-paid phone service where a cellphone can be purchased directly from a 7-Eleven store in the US and Canada and activated on the spot.

Marketing strategies

July 11 is known as "7-11 Day", during which participating 7-Eleven stores offer up to 1,000 customers a free 7.11-oz. Slurpee of their choice. [6]

7-Eleven is the sponsor of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team and the #11 Tony Kanaan Andretti-Green Racing IndyCar in the Indy Racing League.

On November 9th, 2006, 7-Eleven announced that it has signed on as a major sponsor of the Dallas Mavericks for the next three seasons and as title sponsor of its popular Street Team. As part of that agreement, 7-Eleven will give free coupons to Mavericks fans as they leave American Airlines Center following each of the 41 home games during the 2006-2007 season.

Starting in the 2007 season, 7-Eleven has begun a partnership with the Chicago White Sox to begin home night games at 7:11 Central Time. The agreement pays the team $1.5 million over three years to move their game times back one minute from the traditional Midwestern start time of 7:10.[7]

A Seattle 7-Eleven store transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart.

In anticipation for the July 2007 release of The Simpsons Movie, 7-Eleven turned a dozen of its North American stores into Kwik-E-Marts.[8] Those stores, plus most of the over 6,000 other stores in North America, sold Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal (a version of Fruit Loops), Squishees, pink donuts, and other items from the show.[9] Also, many regular items, such as coffee and sandwiches, had special Simpsons-themed wrapping and packages. As part of the movie promotion, 7-Eleven held Simpsons contests as well, which one entered by buying certain products in 7-Eleven stores. The "Kwik-E-Mart" promotion turned out to be a huge success for 7-Eleven, with Simpsons fans driving as far as hundreds of miles to buy the special themed merchandise.[10] It also resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the converted 7-Elevens.[11]

7-Eleven around the world

Australia

The first 7-Eleven in Australia opened in 1977. There are currently 366 stores in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland; the majority of stores are in metropolitan areas. Stores are owned and operated as franchises, with a central administration.

Canada

File:7 11Wgas ne.JPG
A Canadian 7-Eleven Store with Gas in Woodstock, Ontario.

In Canada, a limited number of 7-Eleven locations have gas stations with gasoline distributed by Shell Canada or Petro-Canada, and some are combined with an Esso. In November of 2005, 7-Eleven started offering a wireless service called 7-Eleven Wireless. They also usually have ATM service through Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Hong Kong and Macau

7-Eleven has operated in Hong Kong since 1981 under the ownership of Dairy Farm. The company opened its 711th Hong Kong store July 11 (7-Eleven Day), 2006, in the Causeway Bay district of the city.[12] With most locations being in urbanized areas, approximately 40 percent are franchised stores. In September 2004, Dairy Farm acquired Daily Stop, a convenience store chain located mainly in the territory's MTR and KCR stations, and converted them to 7-Eleven stores immediately upon takeover.

7-Eleven entered the Macau market in 2005, and now has more than 20 stores in operation.

Japan

7-Eleven in Niigata, Japan.

Japan has more 7-Eleven locations than anywhere else in the world, where they often bear the title of its holding company "Seven & i Holdings". Of the 28,123 stores around the globe, 11,500 of them are located in Japan. 1,396 are in Tokyo alone.

The feel and look of the store is somewhat different from that of the U.S. 7-Elevens in Japan offer a wider selection of products and services. Japanese 7-Elevens offer not only food, drinks, and magazines, but also video games and consoles, music CDs, DVDs, digital cardreaders as well as seasonal items like Christmas cakes, Valentine's Day chocolates, and fireworks. Slurpees and Big Gulp super size soft drinks are no longer sold in Japan; these products were not popular when 7-Eleven originally opened in Japan.

On September 1, 2005, Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd., a new holding company, became the parent company of 7-Eleven, Ito Yokado, and Denny's Japan.

File:7 eleven.jpg
A 7-Eleven located in Kedah, Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysian 7-Elevens are owned by Convenience Shopping Sdn. Bhd. (CSSB) which now operates about 800 stores nationwide and plans to expand to over 1000 stores. 7-Eleven in Malaysia was incorporated on June 4, 1984 by the Berjaya Group Berhad.

Mexico

In Mexico 7-Eleven was called Super 7. In 1995 the name changed to 7-Eleven, but is still called Super Siete in some places.

Philippines

In the Philippines, 7-Eleven is run by the Philippine Seven Corporation (PSC). Its first store opened in 1984. In 2000, President Chain Store Corporation (PCSC) of Taiwan, also a licensee of 7-Eleven, bought the majority shares of PSC and thus formed a strategic alliance for the convenience store industry within the region.

ITs called puupuu eite

Norway

The Reitan Group currently owns the rights to franchise 7-Eleven stores in Norway, and has done so since their merger with Narvesen in 2001. The first store was opened in Oslo in 1986, and today, there are 105 7-Eleven stores in 20 different towns and cities around in Norway, mostly locaated in central parts of east Norway, but you can find stores as far north as Tromsø.

Singapore

A 7-Eleven outlet in Singapore

In Singapore, 7-Eleven forms the largest chain of convenience stores islandwide. There are at present 400 7-Eleven stores scattered throughout the country. Stores in Singapore are operated by the Dairy Farm International Holdings, franchised under a licensing agreement with 7-Eleven Incorporated, headquartered in the United States.

The first 7-Eleven stores in Singapore were operated in 1983 with a franchise license under the Jardine Matheson Group. The license was then acquired by Cold Storage Singapore, a subsidiary of the Dairy Farm Group, in 1989. At present, 7 Eleven plans to expand its base to include 300 stores, within the next few years. 7-Eleven has also recently signed an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell to include its convenience stores in all Shell Petrol Stations.

All the 7-Eleven stores in Singapore operate round the clock, except for stores in hospitals, MRT Stations, Raffles Junior College, Singapore Management University and Nanyang Technological University, which have shorter operating hours.

South Korea

7-Eleven has a visible presence in the South Korean convenience store market where it competes with Mini Stop, GS25 (formerly LG25), Family Mart and independent competitors. There are 1,513 7-Eleven stores in Korea, with only the USA, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan hosting more stores. Korean stores do not carry branded products such as Slurpee or Big Gulp.

Taiwan

With the highest 7-Eleven outlet density in the world, it's not an unusual scene in Taiwan for two 7-Eleven shops to stand face to face across an intersection.

In Taiwan, the 7-Eleven is one of the most popular convenience stores, and is owned by The Uni-President Chain Store. The first store opened in 1980 and since then has grown to cover 4037 stores as of 2006.[13] Taiwan has the world's third largest collection of 7-Eleven convenience stores. With 6200 potential shoppers per store, Taiwan also has the smallest number of potential shoppers per 7-Eleven convenience store (compared to Japan's 14946 potential customers for each 7-Eleven and the U.S.'s 48359 customers for each store).

Thailand

The franchise in Thailand is the Charoen Pokphand Group, which in turn grants franchises to operators. There are 4,055 7-Elevens in Thailand, of which more than 1,500 are in Bangkok, making Thailand have the 4th largest number of stores after the US, Japan and Taiwan.

United States

In the United States, many 7-Eleven locations used to have gas stations with gasoline distributed by Citgo, which in 1983 was purchased by Southland Corporation (and 50% of Citgo was subsequently sold in 1986 to Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. and the remaining 50% in 1990). Although Citgo was the predominant partner of 7-Eleven, other oil companies are also co-branded with 7-Eleven, including Fina, Exxon, Marathon, BP, and Pennzoil. Alon USA is the largest 7-Eleven licensee in North America. The latter of the group signed an agreement to cobrand with 7-Eleven at their remaining gas stations in 2003 following Shell's takeover of Pennzoil-Quaker State the year before.

7-Eleven in Oklahoma City advertising the "Icy Drink". Outlets in Oklahoma do not sell the item under the traditional name "Slurpee".

The only independently owned 7-Eleven stores are located in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma metropolitan area. About 100 stores are owned by the family of Bill Brown (who formerly owned the U-Totem chain) under special arrangement with the company since 1953. These stores carry a slightly different product selection than other 7-Eleven stores in the US. They do not serve hotdogs or nachos but have their own bakery called Seventh Heaven.[14] Also, due to this agreement, they carry a non-7-Eleven branded product in lieu of the Slurpee, the Icy Drink, which is not to be confused with the ICEE.[15] The one side effect to this arrangement is that national advertising campaigns and promotions (e.g. movie marketing tie-ins) cannot be used. Oklahoma 7-Eleven stores do not carry adult-themed magazines, lottery tickets or contraceptives partly due to the fact that the Brown family is of Roman Catholic faith. Oklahoma City 7-Elevens also pay relatively high wages, starting all new employees at $10.65 per hour and offering health and dental insurance and profit-sharing to all employees.

In 1987, Southland acquired High's Dairy Stores of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., many of which were converted to 7-Elevens.

Once ubiquitous, 7-Eleven stores are no longer found in some Midwestern states. In May 1998, it was announced that 113 7-Eleven stores would be sold and converted into Kum & Go stores. Other 7-Elevens, especially those in larger cities like Minneapolis-St Paul, closed. In states like Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, other convenience stores like SuperAmerica, QuikTrip, Kwik Trip, Casey's, and Speedway occupy the same market. In the Pennsylvania market—a market noted for innovation within the convenience store industry—7-Eleven competes with Turkey Hill, Wawa from the Philadelphia area, and Sheetz from Altoona.[16] 7-Eleven is also absent in several cities in Texas, even though the United States headquarters is based there.

Sign on a 7-Eleven gas station pump

On September 27, 2006 7-Eleven announced its 20-year contract with Citgo was coming to an end and would not be renewed. 7-Eleven Spokeswoman Margaret Chabris said "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president. Certainly Chavez's position and statements over the past year or so didn't tempt us to stay with Citgo." Later she said that "People are making it out to be more than it is."[17] Citgo's Chief Executive Felix Rodriquez responded with a correction the following day, accusing 7-Eleven of exploiting the situation to score political points against Chavez, and pointing out that Citgo's decision to terminate the contract with 7-Eleven had been made back in July, for practical and economic reasons: “[The reports are] a manipulation because ever since the month of July have we announced that we did not intend to renew a contract with 7-Eleven, which was 20 years old and that was part of a bad business deal for Venezuela."[18] A statement found on Citgo's homepage stated, "The 7-Eleven contract did not fit within CITGO's strategy to balance sales with refinery production after the sale of its interest in a Houston area refinery."

At locations that have already phased out Citgo gas, 7-Eleven is no longer accepting Citgo's credit cards. Many 7-Eleven stores still display the Citgo sign, even though they do not sell Citgo gas. 7-Eleven stores that have removed the Citgo sign usually replace it with an "Oh Thank Heaven!" or "Fast and Fresh" sign on the main sign display, and simply place the 7-Eleven logo on the canopy over the pumps.

In March 2007, it was announced that 7-Eleven would sell its corporately-owned stores in northern Texas and in Florida to franchisees [19]; the chain has been franchising stores since 1964. The sale will make 7-Eleven virtually a franchise-only operation in six years.

Supermarket News ranked 7-Eleven's North American operations No. 11 in the 2007 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2006 fiscal year estimated sales of $15.0 billion.[20] Based on 2005 revenue, 7-Eleven is the twenty-fourth largest retailer in the United States.[21]

In media and popular culture

  • In Back to the Future Part III, the protagonist Marty McFly participated in a shooting game at a town festival and shot down all targets. When asked where he learned to shoot like that, he said, "7-Eleven". Since the 7-Eleven brand is not known in all parts of the world, some foreign versions of the film replace 7-Eleven with Disneyland. The German version replaced 7-Eleven with Space Invaders. On the Spanish version Marty says he learned playing videogames.
  • David Letterman has a running gag about 7-Eleven where a "representative" of the company makes an announcement about a free gift or promotion which can be obtained by saying a catchphrase (e.g. "Give me my million dollars!") at a 7-Eleven store.
  • An episode of Futurama showed a 31st Century version of the store, with the logo name rendered as 711 as if to denote "7 to the 11th power". A sign beneath it boasts that the store is "open 28 hours".
  • Rock band 311 used to manufacture T-shirts featuring the 7-Eleven logo with the numeral "7" replaced by a "3." However in 2001, the band received a cease-and-desist letter from the corporation.[22] Relient K also sold merchandise in 2001 featuring a variation of the 7-Eleven logo but eventually phased them on their own accord having never received a complaint from 7-Eleven.

Rankings

7-Eleven has been consistently ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500[23], most recently being selected as the #4 overall franchise. In addition, they were also ranked #38 in Fastest-Growing Franchises[24] and #2 in Low Cost Franchises.[25]

References

  1. ^ 7-Eleven world's largest chain store
  2. ^ a b http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4898/is_200303/ai_n18004283
  3. ^ 7-Eleven Fun Facts & Trivia, 7-Eleven, May 15, 2007.
  4. ^ 24-Hour Convenience Stores - It Started in Austin Texas at 7-Eleven, About.com. Last accessed February 25, 2007.
  5. ^ Open around the clock, 7-Eleven. Last accessed February 25, 2007.
  6. ^ 5 Million Free Slurpees At 7-Eleven, 7-Eleven, July 7, 2003.
  7. ^ ESPN: MLB Headlines
  8. ^ Kwik-E-Marts Locations
  9. ^ 7-Elevens Get a 'Kwik-E-Mart' Makeover, NY Post, July 1, 2007.
  10. ^ Kwik-E-Mart gamble pays off for 7-Eleven, Dallas Morning News, July 30, 2007.
  11. ^ Gail Schiller (2007-07-06). "D'oh! 'Simpsons' limits tie-in partners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ 7-Eleven opens its 711th store (Chinese), 7-Eleven, July 11, 2006.
  13. ^ About 7-Eleven, 7-Eleven. Last accessed February 25, 2007.
  14. ^ Tricia Pemberton, 7-Eleven making presence known with more stores, The Oklahoman October 19, 2005.
  15. ^ Sharon Dowell, "At Oklahoma 7-Elevens, Icy rules cool", The Oklahoman July 27, 2005.
  16. ^ Meg Major, "Fancy Footwork", Progressive Grocer May 15, 2006. Describes the competitors and stresses the advanced development in the Pennsylvania market.
  17. ^ 7-Eleven Drops Citgo As Gas Supplier, International Business Times, September 27, 2006.
  18. ^ Venezuela’s Citgo Says it Decided to Discontinue 7/11 Contract Two Months Ago, Venezuelanalysis.com, September 28, 2006.
  19. ^ Franchising is 7-Eleven's future, Dallas Morning News, March 8, 2007.
  20. ^ 2007 Top 75 North American Food Retailers, Supermarket News, Last accessed February 24, 2007.
  21. ^ Top 100 Retailers: The Nation's Retail Power Players (PDF), Stores, July 2006.
  22. ^ 311 Inconvenienced By 7-Eleven Over T-Shirt Design, VH1, October 12, 2001.
  23. ^ 2007 Franchise 500 Rankings
  24. ^ 2007 Fastest-Growing Franchises Rankings
  25. ^ http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/lowcost/index.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 7-Eleven.
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