7-Eleven is closing hundreds of stores across the US after 99 years in business

7-Eleven closing hundreds of stores nationwide

7-Eleven traces its roots to 1927, 99 years ago. Its parent company, Seven & i Holdings, forecasts 645 North American retail store closures during fiscal 2026, which ends in February 2027.

The total includes 200 unprofitable-store closures, 350 conversions to wholesale fuel sites and 95 other closures tied to franchise terminations or contractual matters.

A company built on nearly a century

7-Eleven traces its roots all the way back to 1927, growing steadily over nearly a full century into one of the most recognizable convenience store brands in the country.

That long history makes this year’s sweeping closures especially notable, marking one of the largest restructuring efforts the chain has undertaken in its recent corporate memory.

How the closures actually break down

Of the planned closures, 200 stores will shut down entirely due to poor performance, while another 350 stores will be converted into wholesale fuel sites instead.

The remaining 95 closures stem from non-performance-related reasons, including franchise terminations and other contractual situations completely unrelated to how individual stores were actually performing.

Some stores becoming something else entirely

7-Eleven converted 43 company-operated stores to franchises in Q1 FY2026 and plans to convert 390 more stores to franchises for the full fiscal year.

It also converted 72 retail stores into wholesale fuel sites in Q1, against a full-year target of 350, leaving 278 conversions to complete if the target remains unchanged.

New stores are opening too

Despite the wave of closures, 7-Eleven still plans to open 205 new stores this fiscal year, with 30 of them already opened in the first quarter.

That expansion won’t offset the losses entirely, though, since the company still expects an overall net decline of roughly 440 locations by the end of the year.

Little-known fact: 7-Eleven has grown into a global convenience giant with more than 85,000 stores across 20 countries, including about 13,000 locations in the United States.

Why the chain is shrinking now

Seven & i Holdings said declining customer traffic has directly hurt its North American business, prompting the company to reshape its overall store network this year.

The restructuring effort also comes as the company prepares for a planned initial public offering of its North American business, which has already been delayed once before.

Little-known fact: 7-Eleven nearly went bankrupt during the Great Depression before rebounding and pioneering 24-hour convenience stores, transforming the retail industry.

A takeover bid adds more pressure

The restructuring follows a failed takeover attempt by Alimentation Couche-Tard, the parent company of Circle K. Couche-Tard withdrew its roughly $46 billion proposal for Seven & i Holdings on July 16, 2025, saying it had not received constructive engagement.

Seven & i said at the time that it remained committed to its standalone value-creation plan. No active Couche-Tard takeover proposal has been publicly disclosed as of July 23, 2026.

Customers are shopping differently these days

Company officials point to changing shopping habits as a major factor, noting that noticeably fewer customers have been regularly stopping by convenience stores compared with previous years.

Cigarettes, once the largest purchase category for convenience stores nationwide, have declined significantly as fewer and fewer shoppers now buy tobacco products during their visits.

Food is now the main draw

Instead of cigarettes, food has become 7-Eleven’s single biggest overall draw for customers, reflecting a broader shift in what shoppers now expect from convenience stores.

As overall food prices continue climbing steadily, customers appear to be shopping far more selectively and visiting convenience stores less often than they did in years past.

A revamp aims to keep customers coming

As part of its broader strategy, 7-Eleven has rolled out a fresh, renewed focus on food, including new Japanese-inspired meals and completely updated store layouts.

The company is also planning to remodel 200 existing stores nationwide, with that specific work expected to begin during the second half of the fiscal year.

The company still isn’t naming locations

Seven & i Holdings has not released any official list of which specific stores are closing, though media outlets have already identified quite a few shuttered locations.

Customers wondering whether their local store is affected will likely need to wait for official confirmation from the company or simply watch for signage changes in person.

This isn’t the first round of cuts

In October 2024, Seven & i announced plans to close 444 underperforming 7-Eleven stores in North America. The company linked the move to weaker traffic, inflation pressure and declining cigarette sales.

The 2026 plan is broader but is not directly comparable: its 645-store figure includes 350 conversions to wholesale fuel sites, 200 unprofitable-store closures and 95 other closures tied to franchise or contractual matters.

Interested in another major story involving 7-Eleven? Check out why authorities charge the Pittsburgh 7-Eleven manager and employee with alleged SNAP fraud.

What it means for shoppers going forward

For most customers, the closures likely mean somewhat fewer nearby locations over time, even as the company continues opening select new stores in certain growing areas.

Shoppers curious about a specific store’s future may want to keep an eye on local news coverage or check directly with that location for the latest updates.

Curious why hundreds of 7-Eleven locations are shutting down across the country? Check out why 7-Eleven is closing hundreds of U.S. stores.

What do you think about major retailers closing underperforming stores? Share your thoughts in the comments, and leave a like if convenient access to local shopping still matters.

This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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