Global convenience chain 7-Eleven is poised to re-enter the UK market, the company’s head of international Chris Tanco revealed today (Tuesday).

Speaking at the ACS Summit in Birmingham, Tanco said the company was currently carrying out feasibility studies into opening stores in the UK.

“We would like to get in before the market takes off economically because that would be the best time,” he said. “We are most interested in the German and UK markets.”

The company would be interested in attracting “entrepreneurial retailers who know their customers well” to the franchise model, Tanco added.

Questioned on whether there was room for another player in what is an increasingly competitive marketplace, he said 7-Eleven had always “done well in highly competitive markets”.

“7-Eleven was very successful when we had stores in London about 15 years ago,” said Tanco, who is also the group’s executive vice president.

7-Eleven currently has 52,000 stores in 16 countries, with ambitions for 80,000 stores by 2020.

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