7-ElevenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 7-Eleven franchise requires a total initial investment of $142K – $1.6M. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.8M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $142K – $1.6M
- 14th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $1.8M
- 19th pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 8,254
- 42nd pct Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1964. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
29 legal cases disclosed in the FDD. Read Item 3 before signing.
Large franchise systems benefit from brand recognition, supply chain leverage, and proven operations.
Bottom line
- Total investment $142K – $1.6M including a $0 franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.8M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100.
- 29 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- 7-Eleven, Inc.
- Parent company
- SEJ Asset Management & Investment Company (“SAM”)
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 3200 Hackberry Road, Irving, Texas 75063
- Auditor
- KPMG LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $59.8B
- vs $56.8B prior year
Overview
About
7-Eleven franchisees operate 24/7 convenience stores selling gasoline, prepared food, beverages, snacks, and merchandise. Day-to-day responsibilities include inventory management, staff scheduling, customer service, fuel station maintenance, regulatory compliance, and point-of-sale operations across typical 2,000–3,000 sq ft retail footprints.
- CEO
- Joseph M. DePinto
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 1961
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 32
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $0 | $1.1M | |
| Training expenses | $0 | $14K | |
| Down Payment for opening inventory | $20K | $20K | |
| Additional opening inventory | $42K | $240K | |
| Cash Register Fund | $3K | $15K | |
| Store supplies | $1K | $4K | |
| Licenses and permits | $7K | $11K | |
| Real estate and equipment | — | — | |
| Insurance | $2K | $36K | |
| Grand Opening Fee | $8K | $8K | |
| Goodwill | — | — | |
| Additional funds during first 3 months | $60K | $180K | |
| Total initial investment | $142K | $1.6M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$143K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
14%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $142K – $1.6M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $60K – $180K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Variable percentage of Gross Profit
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 1.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Renewal fee | $50K |
| Total fee load | 1.0% of rev |
A 1.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.8M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 241 units
- vs category median 49 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $525K→$4.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 2 / 5 · above
Compared against 304 Retail brands
vs Retail averages
How 7-Eleven Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8,254
- Opened
- 300
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 240
- Turnover rate
- 2.9%
- Company-owned
- 1,025
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 88%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -0.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 16
- Closed (3yr)
- 83
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 190
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 167
- Franchisor bought back
- Ceased ops
- 37.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 7 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
7-Eleven presents moderate-to-high risk due to shrinking unit base, extensive litigation, opaque profitability metrics, unprotected territories, and unclear royalty calculations despite strong revenue averages.
Litigation (Item 3)
16 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $6
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KPMG LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-0.2% YoY) signals system contraction despite massive franchise base
- 02MINORNo average net income disclosure prevents ROI validation; only $1.79M avg revenue provided without profitability context
- 03HIGHSignificant litigation history involving wrongful termination, breach of contract, fraudulent inducement, and FTC actions suggests systemic franchisor-franchisee relationship issues
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; franchisees may cannibalize each other's sales in overlapping areas
- 05MEDVariable royalty structure tied to Gross Profit (not Net) is opaque and difficult to forecast; actual percentage rates not disclosed
- 06MEDHigh initial investment ceiling ($1.6M+) combined with undisclosed profitability creates severe ROI uncertainty
- 07MINOR15-year term is lengthy with no clear exit strategy articulated, locking franchisees into declining system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 29 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
16 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 240 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- 7-Eleven Store Information System (SIS)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: 7-Eleven Store Information System (SIS)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1,143 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
7-Eleven · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 7-Eleven franchise?
The total investment to open a 7-Eleven franchise ranges from $142K – $1.6M. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 7-Eleven franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the 7-Eleven FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.8M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is 7-Eleven's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for 7-Eleven (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many 7-Eleven franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 7-Eleven has 8,254 total units in the United States, including 7,218 franchised units and 1,025 company-owned units. 300 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is 7-Eleven a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 7-Eleven as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.