7-Eleven, Irving, Texas, took the No. 1 spot as the most trusted convenience store in the United States, according to the 2026 BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards presented by Newsweek and market research firm BrandSpark International.
Circle K, owned by Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, earned the No. 2 spot.
- 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Alimentation Couche-Tard is No. 2.
This year's awards are based on a national consumer survey of 35,215 U.S. shoppers, encompassing 182,000 brand evaluations across 359 categories. According to the survey, 80% of household shoppers say trust is important to their purchase decisions.
“BrandSpark conducts one of the most rigorous independent studies of brand trust, ensuring rankings that reflect real consumer experience that help Americans make smarter purchase decisions,” said Robert Levy, president of BrandSpark International.
7-Eleven’s recognition comes alongside other top retail winners, including Walmart and Aldi for grocery.
Walmart, Bentonville, Arkansas, won in 12 categories, including regional categories, and Aldi, Batavia, Illinois, won in eight categories. The two were the best performing grocers regarding trust in the study, BrandSpark International said in a statement.
The BRandSpark Most Trusted Awards is now in its 13th year in the United States. This year’s survey included 139 new categories and 235 returning categories from last year.
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