Want to own a 7-Eleven?

The Story

Dallas-based 7-Eleven is waiving its franchise fees in 13 Charlotte-area stores. This is an effort to expand their brand in the area and make more of their locations franchise owned. Without the initial franchise fee, you can own your own 7-Eleven for about the same price of a Honda. Yeah, seriously.

The Facts

• 13 locations in Charlotte (and surrounding areas) are a part of the Zero Franchise Fee Initiative.
• Offer stands between now and June 30th.
• The average cost of a store in the Carolinas (including Charlotte stores) is $139,828.00.
• Franchisees will only responsible for about $30,000 worth of licensing permits, as well as down-payment and inventory costs.
• The franchisees will also be required to undergo the standard franchising process, which includes sales manager interviews, qualification testing and training.

Quotes

“We’ve done a lot of acquisitions and obtained a lot of stores we think (could be) really vibrant if we had the right people as franchisees getting involved with the community and hiring from the community,” – Margaret Chabris, 7-Eleven spokeswoman

“These locations offer would-be entrepreneurs a chance to go into business for themselves without the expense of the one-time franchise fee. With the Zero Franchise Fee Initiative, we opted to waive the fee on these specific stores to allow the new owner a chance to build his or her customer base and business, while backed by our proprietary systems, processes and ongoing support. This limited-time offering presents a terrific opportunity for individuals to franchise their own business with a major franchise brand for no initial franchising fee,” – Greg Franks, Vice President of Franchising Systems 7-Eleven Inc

C5’s Take

This is quite the initiative for 7-Eleven. It is no secret that America is experiencing a huge push towards entrepreneurship and small business ownership. It is impressive to see a billion-dollar international corporation like 7-Eleven doing what they can to make franchise ownership possible to those who wouldn’t normally be able to afford it. Slurpees for everyone!!

Photo: Tim Boyle / Getty Images

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 12:40 AM with the headline "Want to own a 7-Eleven?."