{"id":269065,"date":"2026-04-15T13:32:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269065\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:32:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:32:40","slug":"7-eleven-to-close-nearly-650-stores-in-2026-as-it-shifts-to-food-forward-locations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269065\/","title":{"rendered":"7-Eleven to close nearly 650 stores in 2026 as it shifts to ‘food-forward’ locations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven reportedly plans to close hundreds of locations across North America as part of a strategy to focus on larger stores and expand its food offerings.<\/p>\n

According to the New York Post<\/a>, the company said it expects to shut down about 645 stores by Feb. 28, 2027, a move aimed at streamlining operations and adapting to changing consumer habits.<\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – The exterior of a 7-Eleven convenience store is seen on Aug. 20, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Thayer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Executives said the closures will primarily affect underperforming locations, as the company pivots toward bigger-format stores designed to offer a wider range of fresh food, beverages and prepared meals. <\/p>\n

7-Eleven President Stan Reynolds<\/a> in 2025 said “food-forward” stores are resonating with customers and driving average sales per store day about 18% higher than the company’s system average.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll continue learning from these stores and refine our new store standard to meet the needs of consumers both now and in the future,” Reynolds previously said<\/a>, adding that the company plans to build 550 new stores through 2027.\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – The exterior of a 7-Eleven convenience store is seen on Aug. 20, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Thayer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The shift reflects a broader trend in the convenience store industry, where chains are increasingly competing with fast-food restaurants and grocery stores by emphasizing made-to-order food and upgraded in-store experiences.<\/p>\n

7-Eleven has been investing in new store designs that include expanded kitchens, seating areas and enhanced product selections, positioning the brand as more than a traditional grab-and-go retailer.<\/p>\n

7-Eleven, which operates thousands of stores across the U.S. and Canada, said the move is part of a long-term effort to modernize its footprint and better align with customer demand.<\/p>\n

The New York Post<\/a> previously reported that 7-Eleven already closed at least 600 stores<\/a> in 2024 and 2025 combined, “including nearly 450 locations in North America alone.”<\/p>\n

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The company was among the top 10 list of most locations closed in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Convenience store giant 7-Eleven reportedly plans to close hundreds of locations across North America as part of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-269065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}