7-Eleven is celebrating its 200th Queensland store, almost 40 years to the day that the retailer opened its first store in the state.
The new store, located in the Townsville suburb of Burdell, is also 7-Eleven’s first north Queensland store.
“The first 7-Eleven store opened in Queensland at Redcliffe on 7 June 1982, and 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 Queensland,” says 7-Eleven CEO and Managing Director Angus McKay.
“Over the last five years alone, our investment in new stores has seen us invest 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.”
Jobs for locals
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,” says Mr McKay.
“Today, more than 2200 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.”
Further investment
7-Eleven says it’s continuing to invest, particularly in regional Queensland, as it works towards its 2030 ambition of a billion customer moments.
“We are investing 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,” says Mr McKay.
“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.”
