7-Eleven's parent company says they will be shutting down 444 locations because of a variety of issues, including slowing sales, declining traffic, inflation and a decrease in cigarette purchases.
The specific list of the locations that are closing has not been released.
As of right now the chain has more than 13,000 stores across the United States, Canada and Mexico, so the number of closures in North America amounts to 3% of its portfolio.
In the earnings release on Thursday, the parent company states a 7.3% decline in traffic in August which caps off six straight months of declines. It also pointed out that cigarette purchases have fallen 26% since 2019, that was once the largest sales category for convenience stores.
Meanwhile, 7-Eleven has been on the record saying they will continue to invest in food in the U.S. since it’s now the highest sales category for customers.
According to a recent survey, competitors like Wawa and Sheetz are earning higher customer satisfaction scores, while 7-Eleven ranks way lower.
News 12 has reached out to 7-Eleven for a statement.