7-Eleven plans to close over 600 stores this year

Hundreds of 7-Eleven locations will be shutting their doors or operating just as gas stations within the next 11 months.

Fourth-quarter earnings filings by 7-Eleven’s Japanese parent company, Seven & i Holdings, revealed that the retailer will close 645 convenience stores in North America in its fiscal year between March 1, 2026, and Feb. 28, 2027, which was first reported by industry publication C-Store Dive.

The closures come as Seven & i Holdings plans to spin off its North American convenience store business with an initial public offering. The IPO was originally planned for 2026 but has been pushed to 2027 at the earliest as the company looks to cut costs and turn around its North American business, according to the Financial Times.

Not all of the 645 locations will be closing entirely, as the filing by Seven & i Holdings indicates some are slated for “conversion to wholesale fuel stores.”

Some 7-Eleven locations also double as gas stations, so the convenience store portion of the location may be shuttered while the gas station remains active. Since the locations marked as only wholesale fuel stores do not count as part of 7-Eleven’s overall footprint, they are labeled as closures by the company.

7-Eleven, which has a presence in 30 U.S. states, also will be opening 205 locations in North America during its fiscal year, focused on larger-format stores with expanded food and beverage offerings, bringing the net loss or conversion of locations to 440.

The filing did not specify the exact locations slated for closure or conversion to just gas stations. This is the fifth straight year that the company has closed more stores than it opened, according to C-Store Dive.

The store closures come after the convenience store chain gave a makeover to the menu at many locations to include more items that have become beloved at its 7-Eleven locations in Japan, which are known as konbini. Foods like chicken teriyaki rice balls, miso ramen, sweet chili crisp wings and Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches became available at select U.S. locations at the end of 2025.

7-Eleven first expanded to Japan in 1974, where it became a popular neighborhood destination.

The company’s largest shareholder, Ito-Yokado, formed Seven & I Holdings and purchased 7-Eleven in 2005. The brand now has more than 86,000 locations across 19 countries, including more than 13,000 shops in the U.S. and Canada, and more than 21,000 shops in Japan, according to the company. (Source: Today)