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 Company Milestones  

Since 1927, 7-Eleven has  accomplished a number of milestones. Here is an overview:
 
 
1927 The Southland Ice Company is founded in Oak Cliff, Texas
Tote’m stores introduced
1928 Tote’m stores begin selling gasoline
1946 7-Eleven® store name introduced because the stores are open 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.
1949 “Owl & Rooster” television commercial introduced: first for a convenience store chain
1952 100th store opening
1954 First store opened outside of Texas (Florida)
1958 First cold weather store opened in the northeast (Virginia)
1960 500th store opening
1963 1,000th store opening
7-Eleven purchases Speedee Mart in California and enters into franchising
First 24-hour operation introduced (Austin, TX and Las Vegas, NV)
1964 Coffee-to-go introduced in Long Island, NY
1966 Slurpee® frozen beverage introduced
1968 First domestic area license signed
1969 “Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven” campaign introduced
First Canadian store opened
1971 First $1,000,000,000 sales year
First store opens in Mexico
First entry into the European market (England & Scotland)
Self-serve gasoline introduced
1974 First store opens in Japan
1979 First $1,000,000,000 sales quarter
1980 7-Eleven International opens 1,000th store
1984 Super Big Gulp® is introduced (44-ounce fountain soft drink)
ATMs introduced to convenience stores
7-Eleven International opens 2,500th store
1988 Oscar Mayer Big Bite® Hot Dogs (proprietary brand) introduced
7-Eleven International opens 5,000th store
1991 Revitalization of 7-Eleven begins
Deli Central™ introduced (proprietary sandwiches)
World Ovens® pastry introduced (proprietary bakery items)
1993 7-Eleven International opens 7,500th store
1995 Company opens its 15,000th store
1996 7-Eleven Mexico celebrates its 25th Anniversary
7-Eleven International opens 10,000th store
1997 Café Select® coffees introduced
Retail Information System rollout begins
1998 Café Cooler™ introduced (proprietary frozen cappuccino)
Financial Services Centers introduced
1999 The Southland Corporation changes name to 7-Eleven, Inc.
Früt Cooler™ introduced (proprietary low-fat smoothie-like fruit drink)
7-Eleven International opens 12,500th store
2000 20,000th store opens (Tokyo)
7-Eleven International opens its 15,000th store
7-Eleven is re-listed on the New York Stock Exchange
2001 Vcom™ kiosk, the next generation of financial service centers, is introduced in Texas and Florida
7-Eleven raises more than $2 million for the Red Cross to assist victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks
Store of the Future Lab opens in Dallas, TX
2002 7-Eleven achieves $10,000,000,000 in revenue
7-Eleven Celebrates its 75th Anniversary
First sugar-free Slurpee drink introduced nationally
Slurp & Gulp Introduced
7-Eleven Australia celebrates its 25th Anniversary
7-Eleven begins rollout of Vcom kiosks in 1,000 of its 7-Eleven stores in the United States
2003 7-Eleven International opens its 20,000th store
Seven-Eleven Japan observes 30th anniversary as 7-Eleven's first overseas licensee
7-Eleven introduces its first proprietary import beer - Santiago
7-Eleven offers nationally its own stored value card called the 7-Eleven Convenience Card
Company opens its 25,000th store – celebration noting milestone held in July at a downtown Chicago store grand opening
2004 7-Eleven offers Atkins and other controlled-carbohydrates products
7-Eleven launches new online Vendor/Supplier Application process in March
7-Eleven opens stores in Beijing, China, in April
7-Eleven sells Cityplace headquarters building in April
7-Eleven introduces new Franchise Agreement in March
7-Eleven becomes first retailer to offer its own prepaid wireless program, called 7-Eleven Speak Out™ wireless
2005 7-Eleven re-enters Manhattan after 23-year hiatus
Company launches Stir Crazy -- first soft-serve dairy dessert ready to eat from freezer
7-Eleven launches Pick Smart and Formula 7 in fresh foods
7-Eleven becomes wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan
Launches of Business Conversion Program to invite well-positioned independent c-stores/mom & pop operations to become 7-Eleven stores
Colorado and Utah company-operated stores are converted from company-operated to franchise operations
C.P. Seven-Eleven Co. Ltd. Opens its 3,000th store in Thailand
President Chain Store Corp. opens its 4,000th 7-Eleven store in Taiwan
South China licensee opens 200th store in Guangdong Province
Hong Kong Convenience Stores licensee brings 7-Eleven to Macau
Seven & I Holdings purchases outstanding shares of 7-Eleven, Inc. and takes U.S.-based convenience-store chain private
Joe DePinto named president and CEO of 7-Eleven, Inc.
2006 Company culture shifts to “I C.A.R.E. About People and Teamwork” and Servant Leadership
7-Eleven product featured in Donald Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice
Seven and i Holdings become’s Japan’s largest retailer with purchase of Sogo Co. and Seibu Department stores Ltd.
7-Eleven teams with Blockbuster, Inc. on 20th Century Fox’s X-Men: The Last Stand movie promotion
Acquisition of White Hen, Pantry (Chicago and Boston areas); doubles 7-Eleven, Inc.’s presence in Chicagoland
Acquisition of 10 McKee Oil Co. stores in Salt Lake City area
7-Eleven, Inc.’s stores in Texas begin converting from company-operated to franchise operations
Ciabatta sandwiches made with artisan bread are introduced
7-Eleven launches sports marketing/sponsorship program with multiple major league teams in Chicago, Dallas and Miami
Company established Retailer Initiative Department; presents RI Award to UST and BakeFresh
Company changes focus and organizes to support regional fresh food and product preferences
Norway opens the northernmost store in the world: Trosmø, Norway – Latitude 69o 39’; Longitude 18o 56’
China authorizes 7-Eleven operations in Beijing and Guangdong Province to offer individual store franchise opportunities
7-Eleven, Inc. opens its 30,000th store
7-Eleven Hong Kong celebrates its 25th Anniversary
7-Eleven International opens its 25,000th store
2007 7-Eleven, Inc. moves up from the #9 spot to #4 in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2007 Franchise 500
7-Eleven announces comprehensive, local sports marketing sponsorship program that includes high-profile teams in major markets – NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR venues, IRL Andretti Green team and Extreme Sports
National introduction of first herbal-extract enhanced coffee sold in a cup called Fusion Energy
7-Eeven offers ReVoS, a prepaid international phone card that allows unlimited talk time to 42 countries for $19.99 a month
7-Eleven offers franchise opportunities for first time in Dallas-Fort Worth, Temple-Killeen and Austin areas of Texas
Slurpee beverage gets energized with the introduction in May of Full Throttle Fury Energy Slurpee enhanced with guarana, ginseng and taurine.
Super cool 3-D lenticular Slurpee cups makes Spider-Man come alive as part of 7-Eleven’s promotion of Spider-Man 3 movie.  Other characters featured on the xx-oz collectible cups are Venom and Sandman.
The Kwik-E-Mart conversion of 11 US and 1 Canadian stores plus marketing of Simpsons products in July leading up to The Simpsons Movie captures international attention and becomes the biggest promotion in 7-Eleven’s history.
Advertising Age names 7-Eleven among its Top 50 Ideas award winners.
7-Eleven introduced its proprietary energy drink – Inked – that targets the tattooed community.
Entrepreneur magazine judges 7-Eleven, Inc. as the No. 1 franchise company in the USA and features the organization in its Dec. 12 edition.
The Wall Street Journal selects 7-Eleven’s Simpsons promo in July as No. 2 among its ranking of U.S.’s best advertising campaigns.
2008 Wine Enthusiast magazine award 7-Eleven stores’ proprietary Sonoma Crest line of wines a “Best Buy” rating.
The company’s campaign for The Simpsons Movie in 2007 receives honors for integrated marketing excellence, including the Super Reggie from the Promotions Marketing Association and Planet Retail’s international Innovation Award.