7-Eleven Expands Fresh Food Menu

Convenience-store operator 7-Eleven is freshening up its food offerings to cater to more sophisticated tastes, the Dallas company said.

Fresh food is growing, absolutely, and it continues to grow, fresh-food category Manager John Vaughan told The Dallas Morning News.

The company, which now sells papaya-mango fruit cups with chili-lime spice and turkey Capicolla wraps with basil spread along with deli-style lunch sandwiches, plans to increase fresh food sales from 10 percent, Vaughan said.

Competitors have expanded food sales by offering more extensive menus than are traditionally found in convenience stores, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The trend is fueled by several factors, including convenience store operators’ decision to find high-margin options to replace cigarettes.

At some point, food needs to replace the cigarette business in dollars, Vaughan said. The legislation, the taxes, fewer people smoking. We’re still going to have cigarettes but you don’t make as much money.

To go along with fresh foods, the chain has stepped up wine sales, which account for 5 percent of alcohol sales.