DALLAS -- As a result of its purchase of 67 Easy Trip/BP convenience stores from EZ Energy USA Inc. in 2012, 7-Eleven Inc. will hold an open house on Sept. 25 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in an effort to find franchisees to operate 37 of its stores in the Cleveland-Akron area, reported The Norwalk Reflector.
The event will feature store tours, and a company representative will be on hand to answer questions about the company's franchise system.
The move to franchising the stores comes as 7-Eleven continues to shift from company-owned to franchise stores. "7-Eleven is basically a franchise company," spokesperson Margaret Chabris told the newspaper.
After rebranding the stores, 7-Eleven now is ready to find franchisees, Chabris said.
Today, more than three quarters of the approximately 8,000 U.S. stores are franchise operations. That's up from half about 20 years ago.
Prior to the purchase, there were fewer than a dozen 7-Eleven stores in Ohio, said the report. In northeastern Ohio, 7-Eleven competes with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which owns and franchises Circle K convenience stores.
The Cuyahoga Falls store where the open house will be is not among those for which the company is seeking franchisees, said the report. The store will remain a corporate-owned store as it is used as a training site for 7-Eleven workers.
On Sept. 26, 7-Eleven will offer a free three-hour franchise seminar at the Hampton Inn at in Beachwood.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,300 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 53,300 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2013, 7-Eleven stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
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