7-Eleven to Close Over 600 Stores in 2026 and Upgrade the Rest Amid Bid to Take Company Public

Amid mounting competition from chains like Wawa, Sheetz and Bu-cee’s – as well as the company’s plan to become publicly traded next year – 7-Eleven’s Japanese parent company, Seven & I Holdings, announced that they will be closing 645 “struggling” stores in 2026, as well as giving the remaining locations an major upgrade.

During the company’s fiscal Q4 earnings call, 7-Eleven President Stan Reynolds noted that the remaining locations after the cull will be made to reflect the company’s stores in Japan, which offer larger footprints and a wider variety of higher-quality food items than their U.S. counterparts.

Could this be the end of taquitos sitting on roller grills for days at a time? That crusty mainstay of countless motorists on-the-go may very well be replaced by fancier new items recently touted by the chain, such as milk bread, egg sandwiches and even miso ramen.

But this move by the 24-7 convenience store giant it’s a cut-back; despite closing hundreds of locations, 7-Eleven is also planning to open hundreds of new ones, as the chain seeks to pivot from a quick-stop for chips or milk into a full-on, higher-end food destination featuring more prepared meals and drinks.

“These food-forward stores are resonating with our customers and driving [average sales per store day] about 18% higher than our system average,” Reynolds said during the earnings call. “We’ll continue learning from these stores and refine our new store standard to meet the needs of consumers both now and in the future.”

This new effort by 7-Eleven’s parent company comes as plans to take the chain public in 2027 are coming into play, with the shake-up intended to make them more attractive to investors when their eventual Initial Public Offering (IPO) comes.

Previously, 7-Eleven has closed over 600 under-performing throughout 2024 and 2025 combined worldwide, including 450 in the United States. Contributing facts have included decreasing cigarette sales, as well as lower foot traffic and higher inflation cutting into profit margins.

But this trimming of the fat is to essentially make way for an expansion of the chain’s new model, with 500 new-style stores opening throughout 2025 and 2027.