Jere Thompson Sr., who helped create the modern convenience store with the concept that became 7-Eleven, has died at age 91 at his home in Dallas, reported The Dallas Morning News.
Thompson and his brothers John and Jodie oversaw the major expansion of the 7-Eleven brand that had its origins in 1927 in Dallas as Southland Ice Co. when employee John Jefferson Green and their father, Joe C. Thompson Sr., began adding milk, bread and eggs as a convenience to customers purchasing ice on the docks.
Thompson also served as National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) 1969-70 president and oversaw the growth of standardized categories, as well as the introduction of training films and public relations programs, the Alexandria, Virginia-based group said. He was named to the NACS board of directors in 1965 and served on the board until 1973.
“We are saddened by the passing of Jere and our thoughts are with the entire Thompson family as they celebrate his life and legacy. His impact on the 7-Eleven brand is iconic and will be felt for generations. We’re grateful for his many years of service and dedication," 7-Eleven Inc. said in a statement provided to CSP.
Thompson started working in the ice houses and the stores when he was seven. The company renamed the early locations, called Tote’m Stores, to 7-Eleven in 1946 to reflect their operating hours. Southland expanded into other businesses including dairies, and Jere Sr. succeeded his father as president in 1961 and later became CEO.
Thompson moved to Florida and started opening stores in the late 1950s, Jere Jr. told the newspaper. The stores were a success, and the company added more along the East Coast.
He moved back to Texas and continued to refine the concept of what a convenience store should sell, adding the iconic frozen beverage, the Slurpee.
When the brothers took Southland public in 1968, the company had grown to more than 3,500 stores. The company continued to grow until the family took the company private in 1987 to fend off a hostile takeover. Debt forced it into a court-led bankruptcy restructuring in 1990.
Japanese 7-Eleven franchise operator Ito-Yokado Co. purchased Southland Corp. in 1991. Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc. is now a subsidiary of Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd., Tokyo.
Jodie Thompson said his brother’s decision to franchise stores in Japan started the global expansion, the report said, and the first big acquisition of SpeeDee Mart in California expanded the 7-Eleven brand in the Unites States from coast to coast.
- 7-Eleven Inc. is No. 1 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count. For more on 7-Eleven’s history, click here to read CSP’s June 2017 cover feature, The Original Disruptor.
Thompson and his wife, Peggy, who preceded him in death in 2013, had seven children, 23 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, the report said. Thompson was preceded in death in 2003 by his older brother John, who was chairman of Southland when it was sold in 1991.
7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, the company operates and franchises Speedway and Stripes stores and the Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits brands.
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