For 7-Eleven officials, their “W.E. Take the Lead” Women’s Franchise Giveaway Contest—targeted exclusively to female entrepreneurs—means more than a spirited competition. The winner can choose any of the company’s corporate-operated 7-Eleven convenience stores available for franchising in the continental U.S. The contest runs now through May 7, 2018.
The winner will be announced in October.
“7-Eleven franchisees serve the communities in which they operate, and franchisees whose operation represents and connects with customers in the store and in the community better understand the customer base, which allows their stores to perform better from the beginning,” Dan Soper, 7-Eleven Vice President of Franchising and Operations Services, explained to Loyalty360. “Therefore, 7-Eleven appreciates diversity within its franchise system, and women, in particular, play a huge part in the current business climate. Since the contest was so effective last year, with three overall winners, we thought this year during Women’s History Month would be another successful contest.”
The contest launched this month in conjunction with National Women’s Month.
7-Eleven opened the contest to all eligible women who are interested in becoming an independent business owner with the world’s largest convenience retailer. One woman will be awarded a 7-Eleven franchise, free of the initial $190,000 franchise cost.
This marks the second year that 7-Eleven officials have targeted women for the franchise giveaway. The multiphase contest includes: Submitting a detailed franchise application, meeting company franchising qualifications, preliminary interviews, a video submission, an in-store hands-on experience, and a final 1-on-1 interview with 7-Eleven senior leadership for the top finalists, all of which will occur during an eight-month period.
Soper talked about last year’s inaugural Franchise Giveaway Contest.
“We saw a positive response throughout the campaign,” he said. “The contest was so successful that our CEO and President, Joe DePinto, couldn’t choose just one winner out of the three finalists. Instead, he chose to award all three impressive finalists an initial fee-free franchise of their own.”
Interested women can enter online at now through 11:59 p.m. CDT on May 7.
“Less than one-third of franchised businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, a statistic we would like to see rise,” Soper added. “About 51 percent of the U.S. population is made up of females, and 7-Eleven believes it is important for our stores to mirror the communities in which they operate. We would like to create awareness of franchising opportunities with 7-Eleven among women. We have aggressive growth goals for the future, therefore we are looking for a strong, diverse base of franchisees that are looking to grow with us.”