7-Eleven Australia was awarded the Australian Retailers Association’s Visa Australian Retailer of the Year award, which was presented in Melbourne this morning.

7-Eleven Chief Executive Officer, Warren Wilmot, was thrilled with the win.

“Australia has many outstanding retailers, so to be recognised when there are so many great retailers out there is very exciting. To win Australian Retailer of the Year for the first time is a very big milestone for our business. While we have been recognised before for our skill in Franchising, it is testament to the hard work of our team, particularly of our Franchisees, that we have today won an award for our efforts as a retailer,” Mr Wilmot said.

According to Mr. Wilmot, the win caps off a big year for Australia’s largest convenience retailer.

“In 2010 we purchased the Mobil Retail Fuels business, adding more than 200 additional stores to our network. I’m pleased to say that in 2011 we successfully converted more than 175 stores from Mobil to 7-Eleven, opening an average of 5 stores per week. Thanks to the strength of the 7-Eleven brand and offer, and the hard work of our Franchisees and corporate team, these stores are performing very strongly once converted, despite the challenging economic conditions other retailers are experiencing,” he said.

“We have a number of strengths that have helped us to win this award. Firstly, from the owners of
7-Eleven Australia, the Withers and Barlow families, to our Franchisees and corporate staff, there is a sense of community and a business culture that is very strongly linked to family.”

“Secondly, while we are in fact one large business, most of the time we see ourselves as 600 small businesses. By focusing on developing each store and growing its profitability, the business, as a whole, benefits.”

“Our third advantage is the structure of our Franchise arrangement. It is different to nearly all other franchise arrangements as it is specifically designed to work for both Franchisor and Franchisee. The key is that the broader 7-Eleven business makes money only when the Franchisees make money, ensuring that everyone in the business is focused on the mutual goal of increasing individual store profitability,” Mr Wilmot said.

“These three strengths, combined with the strong global 7-Eleven brand, our commitment to delivering a market leading customer offer, and our 600 diligent Franchisees who proudly operate their own businesses, have positioned us for success, including the win we are celebrating today,” he said.

“I would like to thank our team and Franchisees for their hard work that has seen us recognised today, and also thank the ARA and Visa for their efforts to encourage and support retailers in Australia to continuously strive to deliver an outstanding offer to Australian shoppers,” Mr Wilmot concluded.