Australia’s largest private fuel and convenience retailer 7-Eleven Australia has put its national network of around 750 stores up for sale.
The sale is for 100 per cent of the Australian business, which has been enjoying a period of growth over the past few years, entering new markets including North Queensland and regional areas in NSW, Victoria, and Western Australia.
The business has also been investing in its food offering, kicking off a trial of the new Johnny’s Deli food on the go concept in Melbourne just last year.
In 2022, 7-Eleven celebrated 45 years of operation in Australia, with the Withers and Barlow families having opened their first store on 24 August 1977 in Oakleigh, Victoria. The business opened its first 24-hour store just six months later in Brunswick, Victoria.
Since then, 7-Eleven has grown to operate more than 750 stores across Victoria, NSW, ACT, Queensland, and Western Australia. The business processes around 250 million transactions each year and supports the employment of more than 9,000 people across the corporate and franchise network.
Commenting on behalf of 7-Eleven’s shareholders, Russell Withers said it was the right time for ownership of the business to change hands.
“The Company has made significant progress in recent years on a number of fronts and is performing well under a highly credentialed management team, with an exciting outlook for growth.
“As such the Withers and Barlow families have decided that the time is right to review options for the future ownership of the business with a view to setting it up for future growth and success.”
Michael Smith, Chairman of 7-Eleven Holdings, highlighted that 7-Eleven has an unrivalled brand and convenience footprint in the attractive fuel and convenience market in Australia.
“The business has great momentum and a compelling strategy for growth across convenient food, the continued transformation of our total merchandise offer, digital and format innovation, and new stores. With such a strong platform in place, the shareholders have decided that the time is right for new ownership of the business to oversee the next phase of our growth and development.
“Across our network of stores, it’s business as usual and our focus is on our customers and being the first choice in convenience retailing in Australia.”
The sale process is at an early stage and is expected to take a number of months.
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