7-Eleven Stores’5,600-square-foot store is designed to be light, bright and inviting, with a full kitchen and enough space to expand on many of the chain’s product and service offers, making it a more experiential event for customers.
The retailer set out to design a store format “that tickled the senses and delighted our customers,” said President and CEO Jim Brown. “The building tells our customers that something is different here, and it compels them to check us out.”
Developing the site was a multiyear project that included surveys, focus groups, design teams and architects. “There were times when it tended to get a little overwhelming,” Brown said. “Eventually, as we figured out what direction we wanted to go, we put some folks on staff to help us do it our way, including an architect/project manager.”
What the Experts Say
Thank heaven 7-Eleven Stores embraced strong signature graphics to bring focus to the great programs the chain is known for. The key programs of coffee, roller grill, Big Gulp, Slurpee and grab-and-go take on a new life thanks to the designer’s use of innovative graphic solutions that not only delineate the important categories, but they frankly make my mouth water in anticipation of my next trip to the Oklahoma-based 7-Eleven Stores. —Mike Lawshe, president and CEO, Paragon Solutions