[11] In 1927, Southland Ice Company employee named John Jefferson Green began selling ice, then he started selling eggs, milk, and bread from one of 16 ice house storefronts in Dallas, with permission from one of Southland's founding directors, Joe C. Thompson Sr.[12] Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were available, Thompson theorized that selling products such as bread and milk in convenience stores would reduce the need for customers to travel long distances for basic items.

[13] In 1946, in an effort to continue the company's post-war recovery, the name of the franchise was changed to 7-Eleven to reflect the stores' new hours of operation (7 am to 11 pm), which were unprecedented at the time.

[14] In 1971, Southland acquired convenience stores of the former Pak-A-Sak chain owned by Graham Allen Penniman Sr., of Shreveport, Louisiana.

[18][19] Various assets, such as the Chief Auto Parts chain,[20] the ice division,[21] and hundreds of store locations,[22] were sold between 1987 and 1990 to relieve debt incurred during the buyout.

In October 1990, the heavily indebted Southland Corp. filed a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to transfer control of 70% of the company to Japanese affiliate Ito-Yokado.

[citation needed] In February 2010, 7-Eleven opened a concept store in DeLand, Florida across from Stetson University, designed to meet LEED environmental standards.

[44] According to plans, products from local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sold in 7-Eleven in Cambodia will comprise at least 50 percent of the stock.

7-Eleven opened its first store in China in Shenzhen, Guangdong in 1992 and later expanded to Beijing in 2004, Tianjin and Shanghai in 2009, Chengdu[45] in 2011, Qingdao in 2012, Chongqing in 2013, Hangzhou and Ningbo in 2017, Nanjing in 2018, and Wuhan, Xi'an, and Fuzhou in 2019.

[49] In November 1980, Southland Corporation and Hong Kong conglomerate Jardine Matheson signed a franchise agreement to bring 7-Eleven to the territory.

[56][57] In September 2004, the number of locations in Hong Kong was substantially boosted when Dairy Farm acquired Daily Stop, a rival convenience store chain, from SCMP Retailing (HK).

[60] This feature was subsequently extended to select other 7-Eleven locations across Hong Kong under the "Daily Café" and "Hot Shot" brands.

Modern Sevel Indonesia's initial plans were to focus on opening stores in Jakarta, targeting densely populated commercial and business areas.

In October 2021, it was announced across Israeli media that 7-Eleven had signed a contract with Electra Consumer Products to open hundreds of stores in Israel.

7-Eleven stores in Japan are also popular among tourists from other countries, as the Seven Bank automated teller machines at branches will accept foreign debit and credit cards for withdrawing cash in Japanese yen.

In February 2009, 7-Eleven has signed a non-exclusive contract with Chevron Philippines to open its stores in selected Caltex gas stations nationwide.

Stores in Singapore are operated by DFI Retail Group (formerly Dairy Farm International Holdings), franchised under a licensing agreement with 7-Eleven Incorporated.

[97][98] 7-Eleven Taiwan also operates an MVNO called ibon mobile, which offers prepaid and postpaid SIM cards using the FarEasTone network.

[120] It was also reported that workers were often not paid loadings and penalty rates that they are legally entitled to, for working overtime hours, nights, weekends, and public holidays.

[120] After these reports came to light and received widespread attention, some employees had alleged to Fairfax Media that they had begun to be paid correctly through the 7-Eleven payroll system; however, they were then asked by the franchisee to pay back half their wages in cash.

The inquiry was conducted by an independent panel chaired by former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Allan Fels, and with the support of professional services firm Deloitte.

Deputy chairman Michael Smith replaced Withers, while Bob Baily was appointed as interim chief executive.

[126] This announcement was made on the same day as a Court finding describing Levvit Robinson's "hellish bullying" of Dr Brendan French,[127] miring the action in controversy.

"[128] Fels "described the $25 million offer from head office as a 'significant step forward'" but added that his panel's investigation would not be effected.

[129] Levvit Robinson was forced to retract misleading statements made in advertising to 7-Eleven franchisees in June 2018 by the Federal Court of Australia.

[132] In a settlement approved by the Federal Court in 2022, 7-Eleven agreed to pay $98 million to franchisees alleging that they were misled regarding store profitability.

This difference made many franchisees "unable to make a profit unless they underpaid staff," as was shown in the wage theft class action.

7-Eleven abandoned the Ottawa, Ontario, market in December 2009 after selling its six outlets to Quickie Convenience Stores, a regional chain.

[157] By summer 2021, the company had installed just a few electric vehicle charging stations, but announced plans to expand considerably, with a target of 250 DC fast-charging locations in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2022, starting with four states (California, Colorado, Florida and Texas).

[165] The company also announced plans to add hot and cold food options and a larger baked goods selection at up to 1,600 Speedway and Stripes stores.

In Brazil, during the 1990s, 7-Eleven had 17 stores in the city of São Paulo in a joint venture between Esteve S.A. Exportadora and Southland Corporation,[172] but all closed due to high competition.