No. 1 Convenience Retailer To Serve Free Slurpee™ Drinks, Beverages, Snacks on 7-11 Day
Dallas, TX, July 7, 2003 – Friday is July 11, but at 7-Eleven, Inc. (NYSE: SE), it’s better known as 7-11 Day, and the day the world’s No. 1 convenience retailer celebrates its birthday. This year is no different. To celebrate its 76th birthday in 2003, participating 7-Eleven™ stores across America plan to serve more than 5 million free Slurpee™ drinks and samples of several tasty new products while supplies last this Friday. An extra big bash is planned at a north side Chicago store, where the company will celebrate the milestone of opening 25,000 stores.
On Friday, each participating 7-Eleven store will offer 1,000 customers a free 7.11-oz. Slurpee drink of their choice. The new featured Slurpee flavor this month is Mountain Dew Live Wire. Participating stores also will be sampling Big Eats Bakery™ Dreammm Donuts™, new beef enchilada-flavored 7-Eleven Go-Go Taquitos™, Chipper Snacks™, Briar’s Premium Root Beer and DefCon3 Energy Drinks.
“For 76 years, our customers have made us the world’s favorite neighborhood retailer,” said Jim Keyes, 7-Eleven, Inc. president and CEO. “7-Eleven stores plan to celebrate this anniversary with a special thank-you to our more than 6 million customers that shop our stores each day.”
Convenience retailing began simply enough in 1927 when a Southland Ice Company employee started selling milk, eggs and bread from his ice dock in Oak Cliff, a suburb of Dallas. Since that inauspicious start, “convenience” has become a big business. The small ice company has grown into a major international retailing chain with 5,800 7-Eleven stores in the United States and Canada, and more than 25,000 stores worldwide.
“7-Eleven was the first to introduce the concept of convenience shopping to the public and has grown to be the largest convenience store retailer in the world,” said Keyes. “We look to maintain our leadership position as consumers’ store of choice by meeting and exceeding the changing needs of our customers’ lifestyles.”
Not only did 7-Eleven create convenience retailing, the company also has set the convenience store standard with numerous firsts since 1927. 7-Eleven was the first convenience store to: advertise on television, operate 24 hours a day, sell gasoline, offer fresh-brewed coffee to-go, self-serve fountain drinks and giant drink cups, and sell pre-paid phone cards.
The company’s branded proprietary products like Big Gulp™ fountain drinks, Big Bite™ hot dogs, Big Eats Deli™ sandwiches and Slurpee™ frozen carbonated beverages, also unique in the marketplace, have become part of popular American culture.
“Customers have high expectations of us,” Keyes said. “When they shop at 7-Eleven, they want to find what they need easily, pay a fair price, and get in and out quickly. That’s our challenge, day in and day out – to provide exceptional convenience, product assortment, quality, value and service. A lot of things at 7-Eleven have changed over the years, but our commitment to keep that promise never has.”