Yes W.E.* Will

Now, it is up to the voting public to narrow the field to three. Voting in the video competition opened yesterday (June 19) through 11:59 p.m. July 2. Anyone can vote, and vote more than once – but only one time per day for as many days as they like through the end of the video portion of the competition.

7-Eleven^® invited qualified women to enter the contest and consider becoming an independent business owner with the No. 1 franchise business, as named in Entrepreneur magazine's 2017 Franchise 500. One deserving woman will be awarded a 7-Eleven fee-free franchise, a value of up to $190,000. The winner can choose from any of the company's 7-Eleven convenience store franchises available in the continental U.S. at the contest's culmination.

Semi-finalists were selected from hundreds of applications received by 7-Eleven this spring.

The seven are:

• Alisa Davern–Aliso Viejo, CA
• Alyson Lawson–DeSoto, TX
• Avalon Young–Sedalia, CO
• Bridgette Patterson–Woodbridge, VA
• Thi "Grace" Nguyen–McKinney, TX
• Evelyn Scott–Chesapeake, VA
• Latanya Bennet–King of Prussia, PA

"In their videos, the semi-finalists have submitted some compelling personal stories and reasons they want to become a 7-Eleven franchisee," said Larry Hughes, vice president of franchise systems for 7-Eleven. "We invite people to visit our website and choose not just the one they like the best, but also the one who makes the best case for getting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start her own business."

7-Eleven believes in giving back to communities where it does business and will make a donation to the winner's charity of choice that aligns with its Project A-Game^® program. Project A-Game grants help provide youth a foundation for success by funding programs focused on education, fitness, safety and hunger relief. The donation will be determined by the total number of votes the winner's video receives throughout the voting period.

After July 2, the top three contenders will be determined by the number of votes their video receives. These three finalists will then have one-on-one interviews with 7-Eleven, and the winner announced in July.

The competition is similar to 7-Eleven's successful Operation: Take Command^® franchise giveaway for U.S. military veterans. Like Operation: Take Command, this multi-phase competition includes meeting company franchising qualifications, preliminary interviews, video contest and a final one-on-one interview with 7-Eleven senior leadership for the top finalists.

Less than one-third of franchised businesses in the U.S. are owned by women. In an effort to increase its own number of female franchisees, 7-Eleven targeted this franchise give-away contest exclusively to women entrepreneurs.

"Some of our most successful franchisees across the country are women," said Hughes. "7-Eleven serves a diverse customer base, and the number of women shopping our stores continues to grow. More and more are choosing to become independent business owners, and 7-Eleven offers a proven system and one of the best entrepreneurial opportunities around."

To qualify, an entrant had to be age 21 or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, have excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. Contestants go through the same qualification process as all 7-Eleven franchise applicants including credit evaluation, a leadership test, business plan development, budget, and store location preferences.

This year marks the 53rd year of franchising for the world's largest convenience store. Today, franchisees operate almost 90 percent of the 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. An interactive map at www.franchise.7-eleven.com indicates stores available for franchising.

The Fine Print: The contest is not open to eligible women who are legal residents of Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota and where prohibited. All participants must read and agree to the official rules at WomensFranchiseGiveaway.com. This is not an offer to sell a franchise, which will be made by us only in a state if 7-Eleven, Inc. is first registered, filed, exempted or otherwise qualified to offer franchises in that state, and only if 7-Eleven provides an appropriate Franchise Disclosure Document. A credit of up to $190,000 toward the initial franchise fee will be awarded. The winner will be required to pay any portion of the initial franchise fee over $190,000 for the store they select, along with other initial fees, including but not limited to a $29,000 down payment on inventory, cost of all licenses and permits, expenses to attend training and other fees described in our Franchise Disclosure Document.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven^® operates, franchises or licenses more than 62,000 stores in 17 countries, including 10,900 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee^®, Big Bite^® and Big Gulp^®, 7-Eleven has expanded into high-quality salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings, cheeseburgers and hot chicken sandwiches. 7-Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products under the 7-Select^® brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites, at an outstanding value. Customers also count on 7-Eleven for payment services, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards^® customer loyalty platform on the 7-Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.7-eleven.com