7-Eleven

In America there are 7-Eleven convenience stores all over the place and while the same holds true in Japan, here they often bear the title of their holding company - Seven & i Holdings.

7-Eleven stores are very popular in Japan, in fact Japan has the largest number of 7-Eleven stores in the world, even more stores than in the United States! Although some of the stores sell a lot more than just snack food and soda.

Here in Japan, 7-Eleven has its own line of clothing and household goods like bed sheets and curtains. In some areas they even have 7-Eleven department stores where they sell things like insulated jackets in the winter and no-sweat shirts in the summer. During the summer they also sell pillows that you can stick in the freezer - you'll never have to flip the pillow over and over, looking for the cool spot, again!

In September 2005 the parent company of 7-Eleven Japan, Ito-Yokado, a grocery and clothing store chain, and Denny's Japan, a family restaurant, merged to form the company of Seven & i Holdings. What you may not know is that in November of the same year, Seven & i Holdings purchased 7-Eleven Inc, the parent company of all the 7-Eleven stores operated in the United States!

Just think, all those 7-Elevens that are owned and run by people from India are ultimately owned by the Japanese.