Almost 40 years to the day since opening its first Queensland store 7-Eleven has opened the 200th in the state. The new store is located at Burdell in Townsville, which also makes it the first 7-Eleven in North Queensland.
“The first 7-Eleven store opened in Queensland at Redcliffe on 7 June 1982,” says CEO and Managing Director, Angus McKay. “Since then, on store fit out and set up alone, our conservative estimates are we’ve invested in excess of $100 million dollars in new stores in the state.
“Over the last five years alone we’ve invested to grow our Queensland network by about 30 stores. That includes expanding into regional communities as we deliver on our commitment to provide regional Queenslanders with the same choice and convenience available in metropolitan areas.”
While the company’s expansion serves the needs of its customers, it also has benefits for Queensland locals looking for work.
“Every new store means jobs with our developers and construction suppliers during the build phase, in addition to the ongoing jobs created to operate each store,” McKay says. “Today, more than 2,200 Queenslanders are part of our broader team. Whether that is in our corporate store network, working for one of our franchisees, or in our support offices, we’re proud our network expansion provides career opportunities in Queensland.”
Planning for a billion
The company is working towards a 2030 goal of a billion customer moments.
“We are planning to open approximately 15 new stores in Cairns and Townsville over the next few years, and are scheduled to open stores in other regional centres including Gympie and Maryborough later in 2022.
“Our team is continuing to work with landlords and developers to ensure our store network provides our customers with the products and services they want, in the locations and formats that are convenient for them.”
Currently, there are over 700 stores across Victoria, NSW, ACT, QLD and Western Australia including more than 450 small family-owned businesses.
