Before the year is out, the company expects to have stores in Stamford, Southport and possibly Darien, according to the report. 7-Eleven, which is common in other parts of Connecticut, currently has three locations in Fairfield County: one in Fairfield [image-nocss] and two in Stratford.
"7-Eleven is in a very aggressive development and growth mode right now," Margaret Chabris, director of corporate communications for 7-Eleven, told the Hour. "We've cleaned up our balance sheet and have a good cash flow. Also, rental rates have come down because of the economy, and we feel we are in a good position to build a lot of stores in our market, including the New York metro area."
She added, "We anticipate building at least 300 new stores in the United States, not just through ground-up stores, but through our business conversion program. We're inviting mom-and-pop and other stores to convert to 7-Eleven."
Yolanda Holmes, a real-estate specialist with 7-Eleven, said each of the upcoming Fairfield County locations will be business conversions. The Norwalk conversion comes through Fuelco Distributors, which has more than 150 stores in Connecticut and New York under the Shell, BP, Mobile and CITGO brands, the report said.
"We're also looking at acquiring more stores," Holmes told the paper.
Interest is high in the area, according to Holmes. She held a meeting in Darien earlier this week to talk about the 7-Eleven franchise and about 20 landlords and potential franchisees attended.
The Norwalk location will offer gasoline and a 24-hour convenience store, the report said.
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