The 7-Eleven convenience-store empire is set to expand in the Middle East to areas such as Abu Dhabi and neighboring Sharjah, after the opening of the first store in Dubai slated for next summer, a company executive said in an interview Thursday.
“We will first build a firm foundation in Dubai and then sequentially advance to other (United Arab Emirates) nations, such as Abu Dhabi and Sharjah,” said Ryoji Sakai, 7-Eleven Japan Co. managing executive officer and head of planning.
Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings Co. announced last month that 7-Eleven will open its first Middle East store in Dubai in the summer of 2015 with advice and support from 7-Eleven Japan. It marks the first time for 7-Eleven Japan to provide startup support to a foreign franchisee.
The move comes amid increasing competition among convenience-store operators in Japan, as the number of stores — especially in urban areas — is seen as near the saturation point. Japan 7-Eleven stores have the highest average sales per store of all 7-Eleven stores worldwide.
