7-Eleven Begins Southwest Florida Conversions

NAPLES, Fla. -- 7-Eleven Inc. has begun work on the conversion of ExxonMobil locations to 7-Eleven stores in Southwest Florida. The move comes approximately five months after the giant convenience store chain acquired ExxonMobil's retail interest in 183 sites across the state.

According to a report on NaplesNews.com, 31 locations in the region are slated for the conversion this month. To that end, Margaret Chabris, a spokeswoman for the Texas-based retailer, said approximately 15 stores were closed Thursday, April 28 so the technology could be changed over. There could be more store closings this week as the retrofitting continues, she added.

"Four Southwest Florida we're doing installations over a three-day period," she told the news outlet. "We're doing 15 stores a day … [but in a small community] it seems like a whole lot more."

The store closings are just the first step in the year-long rebranding process, with physical rebranding set to begin in May, Chabris said.

As CSNews Online previously reported, 7-Eleven's deal with ExxonMobil was slated to close in the first quarter of 2011. Included in the deal is a combination of company- and dealer-operated sites located in Orlando, Southwest Florida, Palm Beach and Broward County. The 183 sites include five unused parcels of land. The majority of locations will be rebranded as 7-Eleven operations, and all will retain the Mobil gasoline brand, allowing customers to continue to purchase Mobil-brand fuel and use the ExxonMobil credit card, the company reported.