The Business
7-Eleven is the largest operator and franchisor of convenience stores in the world, currently selling 500 million litres of petrol, $500 million of merchandise and serving almost 80 million customers worldwide.
7 Eleven in Australia has experienced signifcant growth since its frst store in 1977. In 28 years 7-Eleven is now a 400+ store network. The 7-Eleven brand and business model offers a valuable trademark that is recognised worldwide, a tried and tested system and a globally accepted franchise concept.
In 2008, 7 Eleven was awarded the FCA “Franchisor of the Year”.
The Challenge
In Australia, 7-Eleven has become a very successful franchise system offering the right franchisee a business system and a ready-to-operate store that understands the needs of the customer. Like many mature franchise systems, 7-Eleven needed to take stock of its success in Australia, by ensuring that its systems and procedures refect industry best practice.
The basis for success in any franchise system so often comes down to the quality of the franchisees, a factor that is particularly relevant to 7-Eleven. With a view to the future and continued success of the franchise system, 7 Eleven decided that an audit of the franchisee recruitment process was required.
The Solution
DC Strategy’s experience in the franchising sector put the company in an ideal position to assist 7-Eleven in this process. DCS implemented a mystery-shopping program with DCS team members posing as potential franchisees.
Each member went through the 7-Eleven recruitment process, documenting the team member’s experience at each stage. This allowed the DCS team members to get a real insight into the process from a practical perspective. The DCS team highlighted both areas of strength and areas of the process that needed development. Each team member participated in the process until the point of fnal offer.
The Outcomes
DCS’ work allowed 7-Eleven to critically assess one of its most important processes and ensured that the quality of new franchisees is maintained, further consolidating 7-Eleven in its current market leader position.
The main outcomes for 7-Eleven were:
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A chance to independently and objectively assess its current franchise recruitment process
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7-Eleven can now fne tune its recruitment process in order to maintain its position as a market leader and recruit the best franchisees
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Benchmark 7-Eleven’s current position against industry best practice
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Identify areas for current development and establish strategies to enhance the franchise recruitment process
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