First 7-Eleven Store Opens In Middle East

SEVEN EMIRATES CELEBRATES ITS FIRST STORE IN DUBAI

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Oct 13, 2015, 09:00 ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents, workers and visitors in Dubai can now enjoy convenience, 7-Eleven style. Seven Emirates Investment LLC, a master franchisee of 7-Eleven, Inc., this week celebrated the opening of its first 7-Eleven store in the United Arab Emirates.

The store opened for business Oct. 6, and the company held an event today with a ribbon-cutting, VIP attendance and celebratory dinner for suppliers, contractors and other guests. The location of 7-Eleven's first store in the Middle East is Bay Square, Building #4, near downtown Dubai and the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa Tower.

The new 2,000-square-foot store carries some 2,500 products that are both typical of 7-Eleven stores and special to that part of the world.

The currently company-operated store employs 18, who reflect the diversity of the United Arab Emirates.

"We worked closely with Seven Emirates and our parent company Seven-Eleven Japan to ensure we are providing the neighborhood with the products they expect from 7-Eleven as well as fresh foods typically consumed there," said Chris Tanco, 7-Eleven executive vice president and head of International. "Guests to this store can find 7-Eleven favorites like Slurpee® and Big Gulp® beverages, fresh foods and high-quality, value-priced 7-Select™ snacks."

The prepared fresh-daily foods include Arabian, Indian and Asian lunch-box meals, like chicken biryani and rice balls. Also for meal or snack times, the store carries samosas, curries and falafel wraps, hummus, Greek and tabouleh salads. Orange date muffins and Umm Ali are among the pastry and dessert selections. And 7-Eleven's iconic Slurpee drinks are already a hit with the locales.

The store boasts a number of special features and customer conveniences. For example, an indoor counter faces outdoors where customers can eat and charge their mobile devices; a mini-office area with ATM, bill payment and copier machines, and delivery bicycles outside for on-demand service.

The store is operated now by Seven Emirates and expected to be franchised in the future after the infrastructure that supports 7-Eleven stores is fully built. This includes partnerships with third parties that would make and deliver fresh foods daily and 7-Eleven's proprietary retail information system.

Seven Emirates plans to open a second 7-Eleven store in December in the high-profile Dubai Marina neighborhood.

About 7‑Eleven, Inc.
7‑Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7‑Eleven operates, franchises or licenses some 10,700 7‑Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, there are nearly 57,400 7‑Eleven stores in 17 countries. 7‑Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #1 on Entrepreneur magazine's 2014 Top Global Franchise list; #5 on Franchise Direct 2015 Top 100 Global Franchises list; #10 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for 2015, and named Best of the Best in the Convenience Store Channel by Entrepreneur magazine in May 2015. The company is #2 in Forbes magazine's Top 20 Franchises for the Buck in 2015. 7‑Eleven is ranked first on the Convenience Store News Top 100 list in 2014. 7‑Eleven places among Top Veteran-Friendly Companies for 2015 by U.S. Veterans Magazine and is among GI Jobs magazine's Top 100 Military Friendly Employers for 2014. 7‑Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7‑Eleven.com.

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SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.