7-Eleven® Announces Winner in 'Slurpee® Battle of the Bands'

DALLAS, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 7-Eleven, Inc. announced The HOLLABACKS as the winner of its Second Annual 7-Eleven® and "Slurpee® Battle of the Bands" competition.  Home-grown rock and popular bands battled in this multi-tiered competition, but only one from the 906 entries emerged the winner.

"We want to thank the Slurpee brand, our friends, family and fans who helped us get this far," said members of The HOLLABACKS.  "We won't let you down.  Without you, we could never be as fabulous as we dream of becoming, and we promise to rock your world."

The HOLLABACKS were a strong contestant among the 12 selected contenders from across the U.S., starting with their crowd-pleasing performance at the New York City Battle of the Bands regional concert Aug. 16.  The band later recorded a music video in Dallas of "It's Over," a song that captures the band's retro take on modern pop/rock melodies.

The final competition came Sept. 27 with the group playing in Los Angeles in a hometown concert that pitted them against the other finalist, Levi Ware, who performed in his backyard of Seattle.  Fans voted through midnight Wednesday when The HOLLABACKS collected the most votes and became 7-Eleven's "Slurpee Battle of the Bands" 2010 winner.

Voting throughout the competition among the 12 finalist bands took place online at the Slurpee.com where performances by each of the 12 bands and the four finalist bands' music videos can be viewed through mid-November.

The HOLLABACKS will receive the $10,000 grand prize and the opportunity to make an in-studio recording to be featured on popular rock memorabilia and archiving website -- Wolfgangsvault.com.

Rita Bargerhuff, 7-Eleven vice president and chief marketing officer, said, "Through the 'Battle of the Bands' program, we are able to capture the natural connection between the Slurpee drink and music," Bargerhuff said.  "We hope the exposure they received will give them the support they need to go on to even greater success."

She added, "All 12 of the bands in the final stages of this year's competition were phenomenal.  Each group added their own style and sound, and that's what is fun and exciting about this program.  We know that each has a bright future ahead, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish."

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 8,200 7-Eleven® stores in North America.  Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses close to 38,800 stores in 16 countries.  During 2009, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $58.9 billion.  7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently.  Accolades include: #3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for 2009, #3 in Forbes magazine's Top 20 Franchises to Start, #3 among Top 100 Global Franchises by Franchise Direct, #3 in Store Growth by Convenience Store News, #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies and #29 among Top 100 Chains in Food Service.  In addition, Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven in its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics.  7-Eleven recently was selected by three diversity publications as a company offering the best career and franchisee opportunities.  7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S., and is expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program.  In addition, the company received the 2009 Shopper-Centric Marketing Innovation from Symphony IRI and the 2010 Retailer of the Year award from PL Buyer because of the company's private-label brand program.  Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.