7-Eleven & Pillsbury to offer sweet deal on sweet roll

DALLAS — 7-Eleven stores have introduced a Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll, the retailer's first warm bakery offering and the first Pillsbury-branded fresh-bakery item with a convenience retailer.



Available with hot foods as well as in the fresh bakery case at participating stores, 7-Eleven's sweetly spiced will be available for purchase for $1.69 each.



To encourage customers to sample, a limited-time coupon for a free cinnamon roll will be available on 7-Eleven's app beginning Sept. 10. Other limited-time offers featuring the sweet pastry will continue in the coming weeks, and customers are encouraged to check their smartphones often for additional mobile coupons. All 7-Eleven app coupons are good at participating stores, while supplies last.



7-Eleven's fresh food innovations team worked for more than a year on the development with Pillsbury. Prepared and baked fresh daily in local bakeries across the country, the cinnamon rolls are delivered overnight to stores before the morning coffee crowd arrives.



"Our goal in partnering with Pillsbury was to create an indulgent cinnamon roll that looked and tasted homemade," said Kelly Buckley, 7-Eleven VP of fresh food innovation. "For more than 100 years, Pillsbury has been 'the' name in home-baking. Now, 7-Eleven can offer the homemade taste in a convenient, grab-and-go setting."



During the morning rush, participating 7-Eleven stores can serve the cinnamon rolls warm in mini bakery boxes. Created just for the Pillsbury cinnamon roll, the microwave-safe boxes also are available at the bakery case for customers who choose to select an unheated roll to eat later. Rolls take just 10 seconds to heat in a microwave oven in the bakery boxes.



"We expect the Pillsbury cinnamon roll will be a hot-seller in the mornings when people are stopping by to grab a cup of coffee on their way to work or school," Buckley said. "However, experience tells us that lots of our customers come into our stores in the afternoons and even late at night looking for a sweet and satisfying treat."



Wearing red-checked oven mitts, the Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury Doughboy character can be seen popping up on in-store signage to promote 7-Eleven's first Pillsbury-branded fresh bakery item.



"Partnering with 7-Eleven gives General Mills an opportunity to bring the fresh-baked goodness of a ready-to-eat Pillsbury-branded cinnamon roll to millions of people," said Randy Johnson, General Mills market manager. "I believe the aroma in the stores and rich taste of these warm cinnamon rolls will make them a hit with 7-Eleven's customers."



Mobile coupons — for a free cinnamon roll, 75-cent discount or a free roll with the purchase of a medium coffee — will be available on 7-Eleven's smartphone app now through the end of October.