Rhode Island 7-Eleven Stores To Undergo Major Changes

7-Eleven stores in the U.S., including those in Rhode Island, are planning a rebranding as the chain’s parent company attempts to replicate its success in its home country of Japan, according to reports.

Executives said in a recent earnings call that foot traffic is down by 7.3% since August and that declining cigarette sales, down 26% since 2019, are a key reason.

The chain has 18 stores in Rhode Island, including in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket and Newport.

The rebranding will center around the chain's food offerings. They're generally currently considered to be convenient but unhealthy, with high levels of salt, fat,and preservatives. Changing that is one of the challenges of Stephen Dacus, a Japanese American and former Walmart executive who started three months ago as chief executive of Seven & i Holdings, the 7-Eleven parent company.

The parent company plans to spend $13 billion over the next five years to expand its overseas operations, including by upgrading existing U.S. stores, adding more than 1,000 in-store restaurants, and building a network of suppliers for 7-Eleven brand prepared foods.

Dacus told The New York Times the chain will improve the quality of its fresh food offerings to include items that have become popular options among American visitors to Japan to U.S. menus.

“Whether it’s hot food or cold food or any kind of food, we have to lean into how we improve the quality and the experience,” Dacus told The Times. “That’s what Japan does extraordinarily well.”

New items could include egg salad sandwiches, which celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once called “pillows of love." The chain's flagship strawberries and cream sandwiches will also become a staple.

At the same time, 7-Eleven has quietly shuttered about 444 U.S. locations since last year and expects to close another 148 by the end of the year, The Street reported. The company has not released a list of where the closed stores are located.

Read more: U.S. 7-Eleven Stores To Offer Item Celebrity Chef Called ‘Pillows Of Love’