7-Eleven plans major expansion in Jacksonville, Fla.

New York -- 7-Eleven Inc. plans to open 15 to 20 stores this year in the Jacksonville, Fla., market and 80 locations by 2015, according to the Florida Times-Union.



At one time, the Dallas-based convenience-store chain had 90 locations in the area. But it has not operated stores in the market since 1990, when Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum bought the last 28 7-Eleven stores in northeastern Florida and converted them to Gate Food Posts. That contract included a no-compete clause, preventing 7-Eleven from reentering the area for 20 years, the report said.