7-Eleven to open 200 stores in Ontario over four years

Toronto -- A Tuesday report by the Financial Times said that c-store operator 7-Eleven will open as many as 200 new corporate stores in Ontario, between 2012 and 2016, with a major focus on the Greater Toronto area.



The announcement is slated to take place at this week’s International Council of Shopper Centers’ conference in Toronto.



The planned expansion is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and would boost the operator’s Canadian store count by nearly 50%. 7-Eleven currently operates 467 locations in Canada.



“What is driving our growth plan is we believe we are incredibly under-stored in a vibrant area of Canada,” Ken Barnes, regional development director for 7-Eleven, told the Times. “There are a lot of people here and not nearly enough 7-Elevens.”



Barnes said the company plans to have at least a dozen deals done by year-end.