WEST SENECA, N.Y. -- Having now completed its conversion and rebranding of the Wilson Farms convenience stores it purchased in 2011, 7-Eleven Inc. is boosting its efforts to retain franchisees for about 90 retail sites in the Buffalo, N.Y., area.
While several of the stores have already found franchisees, the c-store chain will present a franchising sales seminar in West Seneca, N.Y., on Thursday, Sept. 18, in an effort to “better promote franchise opportunities there now that all the Wilson Farm stores we kept are converted and rebranded,” spokesperson Margaret Chabris told CSP Daily News.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven acquired 188 Wilson Farms convenience stores in April 2011 and has since been strategically--and diplomatically--converting them to the 7-Eleven brandbecause it does not want to alienate faithful customers, company officials said previously. (The chain sold 30 of the sites that did not fit its portfolio in 2012.)
The Wilson Farms convenience stores have been a retail fixtures in western New York communities for 42 years.
7-Eleven began a multiyear, multimillion-dollar conversion project in the summer of 2011, with new lighting, counters, floors, equipment and other upgrades. The converted stores now operate 24 hours a day, feature coffee islands and offer signature 7-Eleven products, such as Big Bite hot dogs, Slurpees and Big Gulp drinks.
The franchising seminar will begin at 3 p.m., Sept. 18. The company will offer a franchise-fee discount of up to 20%—capped at $50,000—for qualified veterans who left the military service during the past four years.
And through its military-veterans franchise program, qualified veterans who become first-time 7-Eleven franchisees will receive a 10% discount on the franchise fee for the first 7-Eleven store they franchise. This discount can range from $1,000 up to approximately $35,000, depending on the store.
7-Eleven provides the land, building, equipment and a turnkey operation for its franchisees.
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