EARLY VOTING CofFREE-FOR-ALL

DALLAS, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 7-Eleven, Inc. is giving away free large cups of coffee between 6 and 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 28, at participating stores because:

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This is the second CofFREE Day 7-Eleven® has held and the first during 7-Eleven® stores 7-Election campaign when the cups really count.  Participating 7-Eleven® stores in the U.S. and Canada will give away free large cups of coffee (also cappuccino, latte or any other hot beverage), including 7-Election cups in the U.S. – blue for President Barack Obama and red for former Gov. Mitt Romney. Non-marked, non-partisan 7-Eleven coffee cups also are available.

"Coffee continues to be a top favorite product among our customers," said Nancy Smith, 7-Eleven's marketing vice president. "I think it's one of the reasons 7-Election has been so successful over the years. CofFREE Day gives our stores an opportunity to thank their coffee customers for their patronage.  It's an added perk that National Coffee Day happens during the election season this year. We expect turnout to be strong – just like our coffee."

Also on Friday, 7-Eleven's "Mobile Oval" political party bus featuring a mini-presidential Oval Office on wheels begins its nonpartisan cross-country journey. The highly visible vehicle will make campaign stops in select U.S. cities, with the 7-Eleven grassroots team offering free coffee samples, handing out coupons and taking photos of visitors in the Mobile Oval or with their favorite candidate. Tweets from the road will appear on Twitter (#mobileoval), and a map highlighting the bus route will be updated regularly on the 7-Election website. The Mobile Oval tour runs through Election Day, Nov. 6.

In past years, millions of everyday Americans have participated in the 7-Election vote as they go about their daily routines. Billed as unabashedly unofficial and unscientific, 7-Election invites customers to vote by selecting specially marked coffee cups. Patriotic coffee-drinkers can vote at participating 7-Eleven stores as early and as often as they want in the remaining weeks leading up to the national election – but only for free this Friday from 6 to 10 a.m. Since 2000, 7-Eleven "coffee cup-voters" have successfully predicted the winner in each presidential election, giving 7-Election a better track record than some well-known statistically valid polls. 

Special campaign cups are tabulated at the register when the sale is made, and the retailer posts national and state results daily on www.7-election.com. Poll tallies reflect the percentage of candidate cups sold to date, not including 7-Eleven's regular cups.

While coffee is a nonpartisan beverage enjoyed by Democrats and Republicans alike, it does have deep political roots in American history. In 1607, Captain John Smith in Virginia introduced coffee in America, and the First Continental Congress named it the national beverage after the Boston Tea Party.

7-Eleven was the first U.S. retailer to offer fresh-brewed coffee in to-go cups back in the mid-1960s. It proved an instant success. Customers liked fixing their coffee the way they wanted it – choosing cup size, regular or decaffeinated, and adding sweeteners and creamers to suit their tastes. Today, 7-Eleven sells more fresh-brewed coffee than anything else – 1 million cups per day. In each of the past 7-Election polls, more than 6 million candidate cups were cast.

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 approximately 9,400 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, there are some 47,600 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2011, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $76.6 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #2 on Forbes magazine's 2011 list of Top Franchises for the Money; #3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for 2012, #3 in Forbes magazine's Top 20 Franchises to Start, and #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies. Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven among its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics. 7-Eleven received the 2010 Retailer of the Year honor from PL Buyer because of the company's private-label brand initiative. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.