7-Eleven

7-Eleven is a global convenience store chain that originated in the United States but achieved its defining scale and operational model in Japan. Founded in 1927 as Tote'm store in Dallas, it was later rebranded and expanded internationally, entering Japan in 1974 . By mid-2017, the chain operated 19,588 stores in Japan and 62,935 across 17 countries worldwide, with annual sales of 4.5 trillion yen in Japan alone .

The Japanese operation, built on what Source Code Capital termed "manufacturing-first retail," became the industry benchmark: integrating IT systems, manufacturing, and retail to let consumer data drive product development and inventory decisions . Its competitive edge centered on fresh food and private-label goods, with roughly 70% of SKUs rotated annually to match shifting tastes, plus localized offerings across nine regional divisions . The franchise model dominated, with nearly 80% of Japanese stores operated by independent owners . In the autonomous delivery space, Nuro partnered with 7-Eleven to pilot driverless delivery services in California as of late 2021 .