MUMBAI — 7-Eleven Inc. is opening its first convenience store in India on Oct. 9 in Mumbai through 7-India Convenience Retail Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. (RRVL).
RIL, based in Mumbai, is the largest publicly traded company in India. Its RRVL subsidiary, through 7-India Convenience Retail, holds the master franchise agreement with 7-Eleven to operate stores in the Mumbai area.
The two-story, 1,700-square-foot c-store and cafe is located on the first floor of the Atul Blue Fortuna apartments in the Marol neighborhood of the Andheri East suburb in Mumbai, India’s largest city. Andheri is home to the city’s international airport, multiple rail stations and India’s Bollywood entertainment hub.
The first store opening will be followed by a “rapid rollout in key neighborhoods and commercial areas, across the Greater Mumbai cluster to start with,” RRVL said.
The 7–Eleven brand’s entry into the country will modernize the small-retail environment and bring greater convenience to shoppers, said 7-Eleven.
“At Reliance, we pride ourselves on offering up the best to our customers and we are proud to bring 7-Eleven, the globally trusted convenience store, to India. 7-Eleven is among the most iconic global brands in the convenience retail landscape. The new pathways we build together with 7-Eleven will offer Indian customers greater convenience and choices within their own neighborhoods,” said Isha Ambani, director of RRVL.
The new store carries high-quality products typically found at 7-Eleven stores, including internationally popular products, beverages, snacks and immediately consumable fresh foods with recipes developed for local tastes.
7–Eleven will support RRVL to implement and localize its retail business model.
“India is the second largest country in the world and has one of the fastest-growing economies. It’s an ideal time for the largest convenience retailer in the world to make our entry into India,” said 7-Eleven Inc. President and CEO Joe DePinto. “Our strategic relationship with Reliance Retail will bring 7-Eleven’s brand of convenient products and services to millions of Indian consumers starting in the city of Mumbai.”
India will be the 18th country or region where 7–Eleven stores operate, it said. Others include the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
This deal is 7-Eleven’s second attempt at entering India. Earlier this month, 7-Eleven and Future7-India Convenience Ltd., a subsidiary of Future Retail Ltd., Mumbai, terminated a master franchise agreement, announced in March 2019, with mutual consent “as Future-7 was not able to meet the target of opening stores and payment of franchisee fees,” according to a regulatory filing.
- 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2021 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 77,000 stores in 18 countries and regions, including 16,000 in North America. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, 7-Eleven Inc. operates Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations.
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