Given the news that 7-Eleven may be re-entering the UK market, it would be unwise to assume that this will simply be a re-iteration of our UK experience in the nineties...
In fact, it could be said that the only way to anticipate their potential influence is to visit some branches in Tokyo...
My personal memories may lend some insight:
There, in the same small outlets you will find a comprehensive range of goods and services catering for every convenience need, with hyper-efficiency.
With 75% of the range permanently in stock, the remaining 25% is rotated up to three times a day, based on customer need: milk for the school-kids in the morning, bottled water for office workers at mid-day and alcoholic beverages for tired NAMs on the way home in the evening....
A bank of ATMs and terminals for paying utility bills, a small microwave oven for heating snacks line one wall, with newspapers, magazines, books and mail-order pickup facilities lining another.
Outside a home-delivery moped is parked, ready to deliver even 1 SKU orders when required. Whilst the 3,000 SKU shop stocks a handbag-size hairspray, a nearby sub-depot stocks all sizes and variants, allowing the shop to offer a range of 60,000 SKUs to those wanting home delivery...
Oh, in terms of convenience, you will find a branch at the base of most high-rise apartment blocks, with the occupants referring to 7-Eleven as their refrigerator, as convenient to access (a lift-ride away) as the correspondingly small refrigerator in their kitchen...
In fact, it could be said that the only way to anticipate their potential influence is to visit some branches in Tokyo...
My personal memories may lend some insight:
There, in the same small outlets you will find a comprehensive range of goods and services catering for every convenience need, with hyper-efficiency.
With 75% of the range permanently in stock, the remaining 25% is rotated up to three times a day, based on customer need: milk for the school-kids in the morning, bottled water for office workers at mid-day and alcoholic beverages for tired NAMs on the way home in the evening....
A bank of ATMs and terminals for paying utility bills, a small microwave oven for heating snacks line one wall, with newspapers, magazines, books and mail-order pickup facilities lining another.
Outside a home-delivery moped is parked, ready to deliver even 1 SKU orders when required. Whilst the 3,000 SKU shop stocks a handbag-size hairspray, a nearby sub-depot stocks all sizes and variants, allowing the shop to offer a range of 60,000 SKUs to those wanting home delivery...
Oh, in terms of convenience, you will find a branch at the base of most high-rise apartment blocks, with the occupants referring to 7-Eleven as their refrigerator, as convenient to access (a lift-ride away) as the correspondingly small refrigerator in their kitchen...
