7-Elevens’ story is Texan. Happy 7/11 Day!

Pratt on Texas - copyright Pratt on Texas all rights reservedEvery year, Texas-founded 7‑Eleven stores throw a party to celebrate its birthday on 7‑Eleven Day, better known as July 11.

Instead of cake and candles, the world’s largest convenience retailer celebrates with free Slurpee drinks from 11am to 7pm.

The Texas firm introduced the convenience store 91 years ago in Dallas and is now the largest convenience chain in the world. So it is clearly True Texan to celebrate with a Slurpee today.

Dallas-based Southland Corporation setup a management buyout of 7-Eleven back in the 1980’s and then suffered greatly during the stock market correction of 1987. The deal had so much debt that the company had to sell assets and pull out of many markets. In 1990 Southland made a deal to sell control of 7-Eleven to its largest, most successful franchisee, Ito-Yokado of Japan.

Texas founded and based 7-Eleven, Inc.

With that cash injection, and frankly better and more innovative management, the rebuilding of the famous Texas firm began and now is the largest convenience store operator on the planet.

7-Eleven headquarters is no longer in the cool old Southland Corp. skyscrapers that once dominated the east end of downtown Dallas. The firm’s name was changed to 7-Eleven, Inc. from The Southland Corporation in 1999. The parent firm is based in Japan but the core of the firm and 7-Eleven, Inc. is based in Irving.

It all began in 1927 when Southland Ice Company employee John Jefferson Green began selling eggs, milk, and bread from one of 16 ice house storefronts in Dallas, with permission from one of Southland’s founding directors.

Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were available, Thompson theorized that selling products such as bread and milk in convenience stores would reduce the need for customers to travel long distances for basic items.

He was right.

Enjoy that free small Slurpee today, it’s all a Texas story.

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