DALLAS -- 7-Eleven Inc. has reported total June 2005 sales of $1.1468 billion, an increase of 9.1% over June 2004 sales of $1.0513 billion. Total merchandise sales for June 2005 were $734.4 million, an increase of 6.9% over the June 2004 total of $687 million.
U.S. same-store merchandise sales for June 2005 increased 5.9%, on top of a 5.5% increase in June 2004.
Gasoline sales for June 2005 were $412.4 million, a 13.2% increase compared to $364.3 million in the prior-year period. Average gallons sold per store increased 4.1% in [image-nocss] June 2005 compared to an increase of 2.3% in June 2004. The average retail price of a gallon of gasoline for June 2005 was $2.19, compared to $2.01 in June 2004.
Year to date, U.S. same-store merchandise sales grew 4.8%, on top of 6.6% for 2004. Merchandise sales totaled $4,029.3 million, an increase of 5.3%. Gasoline sales totaled $2.3202 billion, an increase of 14.9%. Average gallons sold per store increased 0.8%, on top of 6.3% for 2004. The average retail price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.10, compared to $1.83 in 2004.
Meanwhile, as reported in CSP Daily News yesterday, after an extended absence from Manhattan, 7-Eleven officially returned to Manhattan with the grand opening of its first store "in the heart of the Big Apple." The opening coincided with the company's 78th anniversary year and 40th birthday of its proprietary Slurpee beverage.
The retailer has combined fresh foods and products with a contemporary interior design to create an appealing shopping environment in its first new Manhattan store, it said.
"We're excited about bringing our fresh approach to convenience to Manhattan," said James W. Keyes, 7-Eleven's president and CEO. "Both our urban and suburban stores offer on-the-go consumers a variety of products around the clock, including delicious sandwiches and bakery items delivered fresh daily. Our store in Manhattan will offer an array of fresh sandwiches, beverages, fruit and convenience items busy people want."
As previously reported, this first Manhattan storelocated in the Flatiron District at 107 East 23rd Streetis typical of 7-Eleven's urban-store concept: a smaller, walkup location that incorporates ideas from downtown store locations in Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago.
The center of the 1,500-sq.-ft. outlet focuses on fresh foods, including panini, a hot, grill-pressed sandwich; salads and fruit. Two bakery cases feature glazed and cake donuts, berry-filled muffins and other pastries. 7-Eleven said it offers 1,300 ways for New Yorkers to make their morning brew, cappuccinos, teas along with flavored syrups and toppings.
"Our store has an entire wall devoted to self-serve beverages, including a trendy, new ice-coffee offering, favorite fountain sodas, gourmet and regular java, and espresso new for the fall," said Bob Cozens, 7-Eleven vice president for the Northeast Division. "We are looking forward to becoming part of the neighborhood and will tailor the product assortment to local tastes. Some of the initial items we are introducing include grilled chicken Caesar wraps, energy drinks, sushi and indulgent freshly prepared, single-serve bundt and crumb cakes."
A built-in roller grill covered by a dome of safety glass grills Big Bite hot dogs and Go-Go Taquitos. And customers will find the expected Slurpee flavors and preferred Big Gulp drinks.
The store's interior is inviting with a wood-toned porcelain tile floor, a high ceiling with crown molding, low-profile shelving and white Marlite walls.
To note 7-Eleven stores entry into the market, a grand opening was held at 11:00 a.m. on July 11, or "7-Eleven Day." Free Slurpees, fresh-food sampling, music and other activities marked the event. Company executives were on hand to present an Education Is Freedom scholarship to Baruch College.
A second Manhattan 7store, on the Upper East Side at 82nd Street at Third Avenue, will open in early fall with more stores slated to open in the next 12 months, the company said. Plans call for expansion over the next several years. 7-Eleven franchises or operates 40 stores in the other New York boroughs, close to 200 on Long Island and southern New York, more than 50 stores in Connecticut and 200 in New Jersey.
The new store is franchised by Jimmy Solanki, who moved to the United States from Gujarat, India, in 1981 (see related story, on the Asian-American Convenience Store Association, in this issue of CSP Daily News). Solanki watched his father move up the retail ranks from a stock clerk to the owner of a thriving eight-unit supermarket chain in California, and his uncle owns a 13-store supermarket chain in Los Angeles.
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