7-Eleven debuts new energy-efficient design

MANILA, Philippines - Convenience store shoppers of all ages have always regarded 7-Eleven as a familiar place. After more than 25 years, 7-Eleven patrons will see a refreshing change in their favorite convenience store as it undergoes a major makeover with a new, functional look and feel. Via its local exclusive licensee Philippine Seven Corp., the world’s highly successful convenience store chain imbibes a new image that highlights an environmentally-responsible, energy-efficient store design as main part of the global modification plan.

De-Cluttered Functional Space Upgrade

Beginning this dramatic store image makeover is the unique open floor plan that grants better, full view of the store, not to mention greater ambiance. The design, which is patterned after 7-Eleven Taiwan c-stores but with customized additional functional features that fit Filipino consumers’ preferences, slightly “condensed” the entire area for greater efficiency, and maximized precious space with the installation of better designed gondolas.

“Filipino shoppers in general love to visit stores in groups. By re-layouting the store, customers will  marvel at the way 7-Eleven stores’ allow them to move easily about the entire space seamlessly, in any direction, thereby an enhanced, total shopping experience,” said Francis Medina, PSC Business Development Division Manager who is also part of the store design team.

“The new gondolas are more functional yet can still carry the same volume of products. They also have a classy brown hue as compared with the previous beige ones. This same earthy tone is distinctly used in the counter and walk-in areas for that uniformed, tapered look,” Richard Lee, PSC Marketing & Operations Director for his part, said.

“We also cleared a significant portion of the glass walls, and that made the store reveal a cleaner, uncluttered shopping environment that kept customers’ attention focused on the food and other products,” Lee added.

A Visually Inviting ‘Food Store’

Having created an inviting store space to browse, equal focus was given to the displays themselves. Besides the significant relocation and minimized use of visual marketing tools like posters to a specific focal area so as create unimpeded views and facilitate better natural lighting, the new store also heralds improved graphic food banners. Exceptional detail was also placed on island food table for the perishables, fresh foods and other products.

By displaying them in full view, time-strapped shoppers, mostly students, nearby residents and office workers, can now quickly find what they need, and choose conveniently from an array of quick-serve offerings.

“The island food table is a very new concept, and indeed worked best in bringing the food products closer to people, and the image of 7-Eleven as not just a convenience store but as a viable food shop. We have also allotted a significant area for in-store dining, complete with wider tables and more seats,” Medina noted.

Apart from the bountiful food offerings, shoppers will also be artistically drawn to the modern murals that are vividly etched on the store’s adjoining walls.

Food art: 7-Eleven shoppers will be artistically drawn to these modern murals that are vividly etched on the store’s adjoining walls.

Incorporating Green, Sustainable Technology

Along with the modern aesthetic makeover is the inception of advanced sustainable technology in the new store design.  Works done include the interior lighting (T5 conversions for cooler, energy-efficient lighting), and equipment upgrade to reflectors, LED lighting for the chillers and air-condition units with inverters. These extend all the way to the refrigeration units and more efficient exhaust system which reduce energy consumption by up to 12 percent.

As a result, both franchise owners and regular patrons are delighted with the “bright” makeover.

“Customers immediately notice the store’s overall brightness. As for our franchisees, they are happy with the lighting alterations because the brightness in the area is not sacrificed and the lower wattage use,” noted Medina.  

Also part of the store’s most stunning new interior features is the use of earthy toned hues in replacement of the former orange-red-green combination which has served as 7-Eleven’s trademark palettes in so many years.

“But since the brand has been identified with these original colors, the company opted to retain them in the 7-Eleven logo and other marketing materials like posters and signage which brought out a dominant white hue,” said Lee.

For both interior makeover and energy-efficiency features that offered 7-Eleven stores a design solution that was stylish, functional and energy efficient, PSC has since rolled out the new store prototype in four c-store locations Aurora and Manhattan Parkway in Cubao, Quezon City; P. Burgos in Pasay City and at the Columbia Tower in Ortigas City.

With fast, fresh and interactive food shopping ambiance becoming a growing and highly-lauded concept in the competitive c-store market, 7-Eleven is eyeing these makeover initiatives as positive indicators of its planned growth goals, with development plans calling for the opening of all new stores as SOF.

To date, 7-Eleven remains the top convenience store outlet in the country. Its network of stores and expansion plans are concentrated in the island of Luzon, covering areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Central and Northern Luzon, and Bicol Province. To get to know more of 7-Eleven’s franchise opportunity offerings, contact PSC at (02) 7269968, 0920-9508651, 0917-8711686 or email franchising@7-eleven.com.ph or visit www.7-eleven.com.ph.