Oh, Thank Heaven, 7-Eleven Plans Expansion to 20K Stores

Kazuki Furuya, president of Seven-Eleven Japan Co., thinks the company can grow its U.S. presence from a current 8,500 stores to upwards of 20,000. Furuya didn’t give a timeline on the expansion, but indicated that introducing Japanese-style product and development services to the stores will help the concept appeal to new demographics.

7-Eleven’s U.S. headquarters is in Irving, TX, where representatives declined to comment on the growth plans. In May, the company announced it would purchase 79 convenience stores from CST Brands Inc. for $408 million.

George Young with consulting firm Kalypso said that more people rely on convenience stores these days. “The days of the gnarly-looking hot dogs that look like they’ve been rotating for months are gone,” he added. “You have freshly-prepared salads and foods. People stop for gas, food and wellness offerings.”

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