CSNC EXCLUSIVE: 7-Eleven’s transformation plan takes shape
7-Eleven is closing 645 underperforming stores across North America, including 200 in 2026, as part of a significant strategic transformation. Far from a retail retreat, this operational reset targets profitability by pivoting toward fresh-food, proprietary brands and modernized store formats—a move signalling a new, high-stakes era for the convenience retail sector.
Parent company Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd first announced the closures in April and now the convenience giant is putting its larger transformation plan into action.
During its fiscal first-quarter earnings presentation on July 9, the company provided more details, saying of the plans to shutter 200 stores in fiscal 2026, it has closed 45 so far. Leaders also emphasized plans to open 205 new locations, of which 30 are already up and running.
However, 7-Eleven has not released a list of stores on the chopping block. Here in Canada, regional news reports and social media stories about closures in neighbourhoods from British Columbia to Ontario have some 7-Eleven customers and industry watchers wondering what's next for the convenience giant.
In addition, after a much-anticipated takeover bid ended in 2025, the parent company announced earlier this year it is pushing back its planned North American IPO to roughly April 2027.
Convenience Store News Canada spoke to several retail analysts, who say the overhaul doesn’t point to a chain in retreat, but one that’s adapting to a shifting convenience landscape.
Closures in 2026
British Columbia
- Abbotsford: 1520 McCallum Rd. (July), 2387 McCallum Rd. (near Jubilee Park, June), and 2387 McCallum Rd. (near UFV, June 30)
- Chilliwack: Yale Road and Williams Street (May 25)
- Kamloops: Downtown and Sahali locations (May 26)
- Vancouver: Corner of Seymour and Dunsmuir, Yaletown, and 33rd Avenue and Knight Street
- West Vancouver: 1395 Marine Dr. (May 26)
- Prince George: Fifth Avenue and Ospika Boulevard (May 26)
Manitoba
- Winnipeg: Notre Dame Avenue and Arlington Street, as well as Keewatin Street and Logan Avenue (May)
Ontario
- Brampton: Corner of Church Street and Main Street South (April 28)
- Toronto: 260 College St. (June 30)
“This is surgical pruning, not panic cutting,” says Carol Spieckerman, president of Spieckerman Retail. “With over 13,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, 645 closures (with only 200 permanent) don’t spell retreat. The fact that 7-Eleven is simultaneously investing in remodels and upgrades for the remaining stores sends a powerful signal that the company isn’t trying to cut its way to success.”
In Spieckerman’s view, the decision to close some stores while investing in others reflects a hard truth about convenience retail: “Location matters enormously, and not all locations are created equal,” she says.
“It also affirms the fact that the convenience channel itself is rapidly transforming. The days when a 7-Eleven could survive on just gas, cigarettes and Slim Jims are gone. Basket size is everything in convenience retail, and to increase it, you need to be a one-stop shop. That requires fresh food, prepared meals, health-conscious options and genuine convenience—not just transaction points.”
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Retail analyst Bruce Winder says it’s common for retailers to close stores as they freshen up their networks. “Things change: Cities change, traffic flows change, demographics change, economics change,” he says.
“Having said that, usually when there’s a number of stores closed all at once, the company is probably looking to shed cost… It’s making some tough decisions on what it wants to be and what it doesn’t want to be—trying to improve margins and profitability, focus on its core assets and do more with the stores it has.”
Winder says the convenience and gas sector is also facing pressure from the volatility of gas prices and price-conscious consumers. “There are consumers who are really struggling right now,” he says. Rather than pay high prices for snacks at convenience stores, Winder says consumers are making those purchases at large supermarkets and discount stores.
“What companies like 7-Eleven and others have done is grow their private label brands to offer lower prices and maintain margin,” Winder says.
A new fresh-food chapter
7-Eleven is also placing a bigger bet on fresh and prepared foods. In April, the company said it is expanding its hot foods and grill offerings and reinventing the open-air case. It also plans to remodel stores with a modernized, food-focused design using 7-Eleven’s “new standard” design, first unveiled in 2024.
READ: Delivering change, 7-Eleven Canada is evolving into a food-first destination
In an email to Convenience Store News Canada, 7-Eleven Canada said its proprietary food and beverage program and private brand offering will continue to expand. “You will continue to see us lead and scale in these areas as it provides Canadians great value,” the company said. “Synonymous with 7-Eleven globally is our fresh food offering, and Canadians will soon be able to enjoy the world of 7-Eleven in Canadian stores, building off the success of our Japanese Style Egg Salad sandwich.”
READ: Tamago Sando highlights 7-Eleven Canada’s focus on fresh, international menu items
Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner at J.C. Williams Group, says there is an opportunity for 7-Eleven to draw from its Japanese operations as it expands its fresh-food offering. “The Japanese 7-Eleven stores are very focused on fresh food and ready-to-eat offerings—it’s a huge part of the business,” she says.
She also sees an opportunity to offer healthier options. “People are looking for high-protein foods and healthier grab-and-go options,” she says. “They still want an experience that’s fast and convenient, but with better, fresher food.”
READ: Marc Goodman of 7-Eleven Canada on making food-forward c-stores an irresistible destination
More broadly, Hutcheson says customers are seeking experiential retail environments. She points to Dunkin Donuts, which has a wide range of specialty and custom beverages. “I strongly believe there’s an opportunity for convenience stores to make beverage customization part of the whole experience—creating a bit more fun in terms of different drink options.”
On the food front, Spieckerman notes that 7-Eleven has a big advantage as a global company. “It can deconstruct concepts that work in markets like Japan, where their fresh food and prepared meal offerings are competitive with traditional retailers, and integrate them into the [North American] footprint,” she says. “The remodels aren’t just cosmetic. They’re all about creating destinations, not just pit stops.”
Factors that will shape success
As 7-Eleven moves forward with the plan, Spieckerman says there are several critical success factors, with fresh-food execution being one of them. “Fresh is high-complexity and margin-sensitive,” she says. “Poor execution—spoilage, quality issues, food safety problems—could damage the brand and waste capital investment.”
With plans to convert 2,600 corporate-owned locations to franchises, buy-in from franchisees will be key. The chain, which has been in Canada since 1969, has about 550 corporately-owned stores between Ontario and B.C. and earlier this year spoke to plans to revamp the business model and move toward franchising to increased its footprint in Ontario, while expanding into Quebec and the Maritimes.
READ: 7-Eleven Canada looks to franchising and food to accelerate growth
“If franchisees aren’t convinced the investment will pay off, adoption will be uneven and slow,” says Spieckerman.
Leadership will also be an important success factor. Spieckerman points to leadership uncertainty in the U.S. operation as a potential risk. Following the retirement of longtime CEO Joe DePinto late last year, the company appointed two interim CEOs—Stan Reynolds and Doug Rosencrans—as it searches for a replacement. Several other executives in the U.S. have also exited the company.
“7-Eleven is clearly rightsizing its organization—and not sparing executive-level positions. That’s disciplined, but also risky,” says Spieckerman. “A major transformation requires vision, structure and buy-in from the entire organization. Not having a permanent CEO while executing a massive operational overhaul poses real risk if that vacancy drags on.”
At 7-Eleven Canada, Marc Goodman continues to lead the way as vice-president and general manager. He joined in 2021 as senior director of operations, before taking over the top job in August 2022, becoming the first Canadian to lead the business.
7-Eleven Canada told Convenience Store News Canada that Melese Tiruneh has returned to the Canadian operation after two years with the U.S. side of the business. Having previously served as senior director of merchandising in Canada, the company said Tiruneh brings a strong track record and deep familiarity with the 7-Eleven brand.
While there are inherent risks in any retail transformation plan, the bigger risk could be inaction.
“If 7-Eleven weren’t to reinvent itself, they’re just staying still,” says J.C. Williams Group’s Hutcheson. “And that’s the killer of all retail: not moving forward, evolving or innovating.”
