7-Eleven, Inc. Opens 20,000th Convenience Store

7-Eleven, Inc. marked a major milestone today -- a day the company traditionally observes as its birthday -- by announcing the opening of its 20,000th convenience store in the world. The store is located in Tokyo, Japan.

The 20,000th store was opened by Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., 7-Eleven, Inc.'s largest overseas licensee. Seven-Eleven Japan (SEJ) is that country's most successful convenience retailer with more than 8,200 stores.

The first 7-Eleven store began operating in 1927 in Dallas, Texas, with sales of bread, milk and ice. Stores were named 7-Eleven in 1946 when they began operating daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Today, with one of the most recognized trademarks in the world, the company's stores have come a long way since the 1920s. Serving more than 20 million customers a day around the world, the 24-hour, full-service convenience retailer offers financial services, fresh foods and proprietary products including Big Gulp® and Slurpee® and 7-Eleven Cafe Cooler® beverages. As part of its "dashboard dining" strategy, 7-Eleven sells foods that can be eaten "on the go".

Around the world, other 7-Eleven stores are focusing on fresh products to appeal to customers on-the-go who demand quality. In Sweden, 7-Eleven stores provide freshly baked products daily; empanadas are made each day for Mexican 7-Eleven stores, and home-meal replacements, such as bento boxes, are popular in Japan.

As a pioneer of the convenience store concept, 7-Eleven is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. More than 5,700 7-Eleven and other convenience stores are operated or franchised in the United States and Canada by 7-Eleven, Inc. IYG Holding Company, owned jointly by Ito-Yokado Co., Ltd. and Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd., owns a majority interest in 7-Eleven, Inc. Seven-Eleven Japan operates more than 8,200 stores in Japan and Hawaii. In addition, area licensees and affiliates of 7-Eleven, Inc. in the United States, its territories and 16 other countries operate more than 6,100 7-Eleven stores.