7 Eleven a Food Branding Juggernaut

 

If you’re are a food and beverage industry professional you know that 7-Eleven has been selling Slurpees, since 1966.  The brand originated when 7-Eleven made a licensing deal with The Icee Company to sell slushies in 7-Eleven stores.

Today the Slurpee is sold in 7-Eleven stores in at least 19 different countries. Branding relevance is front and center at 7-Eleven and they have kept Slurpee’s relevant since 1966. In a recently announced fresh new look for the iconic frozen drink marketing campaign called “Anything Flows”.  Now this is the reason for Slurpees continued success; the new look is full of eccentric colors and eclectic vibes inspired by insights from the brands very own proprietary customer research panel.

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® now that 7-Eleven is the sole owner of a Laredo Taco Co. (600-plus-unit Mexican restaurant chain).  Do you think they will be any less pro-active in building the brand, the store count, top-line sales or bottom-line profits?

So, 7-Eleven has agreed to pay Sunoco a reported $1 billion for 204 Stripes c-stores and the Laredo Taco Co. fast-food restaurants they host. Neither 7-Eleven nor Sunoco revealed how many of the retail outlets sport a Laredo Taco Co. unit, but the convenience chain said the deal would give it total ownership of both the Stripes and Laredo Taco brands.

Sunoco had sold 7-Eleven most of the Stripe’s chain close to 1,000 locations and their onsite Laredo Taco restaurants in 2018.  

7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto said in a statement, stated, "Stripes and Laredo Taco Co. have been a great addition to our family of brands since they initially joined us back in 2018,"… "We're excited to welcome the remaining Stripes stores and Laredo Taco Co. restaurants to the family, and we look forward to serving even more customers across West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma." 

Remember that, DePinto is no stranger to the restaurant industry, having served as chairman of the board for Chili’s parent Brinker International for more than 13 years. You might know but Laredo Taco has cultivated a cult-like following for it’s made-on-premise tacos and other Tex-Mex staples, including margaritas. Ok, are you thinking Slurpee once again! O’ yah. How are you building your branded top-line sales and bottom-line profits.

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation, and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter