History
Reed began on May 7th 1960 when James Since 1927, 7-Eleven has built a proud tradition of customer service, innovative merchandising, and forward thinking. One innovative idea came from a Southland Ice Company employee who started selling milk, eggs, and bread from the ice dock in the evenings and on Sundays, because other retailers were closed. Joseph C. Thompson, one of the founders and later president and chairman of The Southland Corporation, recognized the potential of this concept and began selling products at his other ice dock locations — and the convenience store industry was born.
This growing chain of neighborhood convenience stores became known as 7-Eleven in 1946, to reflect its 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. hours of operation. 7-Eleven’s growth exploded in the 1960s, with the opening of more than 3,500 stores before the end of the decade and the introduction of the 24-hour convenience store concept in 1963.
Today, 7-Eleven is the largest chain in the convenience retailing industry with stores operating throughout the United States and Canada, as well as 18 other countries and U.S. territories.
