MIAMI -- 7-Eleven Inc. is expanding in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. The convenience store chain opened 57 new or remodeled stores in the tri-county area since 2010, reported The Sun Sentinel.
There are 15 more stores set to open by the end of this year, and 25 scheduled for 2013, Grant Distel, 7-Eleven's development director for real estate and franchising in the state, told the newspaper.
"Florida has always been one of our key markets," he said.
In late 2010, 7-Eleven announced plans to acquire 183 Exxon Mobil sites in Florida. The retail spaces were in Orlando, Southwest Florida, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Most of those spaces have already been converted into full 7-Eleven stores, company spokesperson Margaret Chabris told the paper.
"We took advantage to grow when the time was right," she said. "Real-estate values have come down from where they were five years ago. We're seeing a greater need for convenience and a demand for the services we sell."
7-Eleven also is expanding on the kind of retail spaces it is seeking, the report said. The company isn't just opening freestanding stores that sell gasoline in the suburban areas. More stores are opening in shopping plazas and more urban areas to target customers in all South Florida.
"We don't do cookie-cutter store models," Distel said. "When we target urban areas, there's much more of a focus on grab-and-go ready foods, quick personal items and things people want to grab fast going to or from work."
The inside of the stores are getting an upgrade, too, the report added. Most of the South Florida 7-Eleven locations are being refitted for an updated coffee bar section, which provides an easier experience for customers to find and pour their coffee. 7-Eleven's new hot food bars are coming to South Florida stores, which sell on-the-go items like chicken tenders, wings, sliced pizza and tacos.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 9,200 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 46,000 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2011, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of approximately $76.6 billion.
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