DALLAS --7-Eleven is recruiting qualified men and women who have been honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces to enlist in the convenience-store company’s second Operation: Take Command competition. One veteran will be awarded a 7-Eleven fee-free franchise, a value of up to $190,000.
The winner can choose any of the company’s 7-Eleven convenience stores available in the continental United States at the contest’s culmination. Interested veterans can enter online at www.VeteransFranchiseGiveaway.com now through Feb. 26, 2016.
The company will announce the winner in June.
“More than 6,000 ex-military men and women applied last year, and 1,700 were vetted in our first Operation: Take Command campaign,” said Greg Franks, 7-Eleven vice president of franchise systems. “The finalists were outstanding, and many who didn’t win, still took command of their careers and moved forward through our normal qualification process to own their own 7-Eleven franchise.”
The Operation: Take Command initiative is a multi-phased competition that includes meeting 7-Eleven’s franchising qualifications and successful interviews. The retailer will invite the top 25 to submit a video on why they deserve a 7-Eleven franchise. It will select up to seven from this pool for the semi- final competition.
Through votes on 7-Eleven’s Facebook page, the public will select three finalists to be interviewed by 7-Eleven’s franchise department management and narrowed to one winner.
To qualify for Operation: Take Command, an entrant must be age 21 or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, an honorably discharged veteran, have excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. Contestants will go through the same qualification process as all 7-Eleven franchise applicants including credit evaluation, a leadership test, business plan development, budget, and store location preferences.
Last year’s winners in 7-Eleven’s inaugural Operation: Take Command are now in business for themselves in stores of their choice. Mark Anthony Page, a Navy veteran, franchises a 7-Eleven store in Burleson, Texas. Salil Gautam, formerly with the U.S. Army, operates his store in Norfolk, Va., and Army reservist Robert Kemna recently took the reins of his new 7-Eleven store in Miami.
7-Eleven already offers qualified veterans who have left the military within the past five years a discount of 20% on the franchise fee for their first 7-Eleven store, a value of up to $50,000, along with preferred interest rates and special financing. Those who have been out of the military longer, receive a 10% franchise fee discount.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises and licenses more than 10,700 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are 57,900 7-Eleven c-stores in 17 countries.
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