7-Eleven Korea is stepping up its shared-growth management efforts by strengthening communication with franchise operators nationwide.
The convenience store chain said Wednesday that it has begun operating "Seven RE:START," a communication program for franchise owners across the country. The program is designed to foster a culture of cooperation that allows the franchise headquarters and its stores to grow together. Following the kickoff event for the first metropolitan area division on Tuesday, the program will tour six regions nationwide and continue through early August.
About 60 people, including franchise operators and management-level employees from each region, will attend the events, with key executives such as the head of the operations division and the head of the compliance division also participating to expand points of contact with the field. The program consists of recreational activities to build rapport among participants, training to strengthen store operation capabilities, briefings on shared-growth programs and meetings with executives. 7-Eleven plans to share efficient store operation know-how, including inventory turnover management, and introduce success stories of top-performing operators, while also explaining various support systems and shared-growth policies run by the headquarters to address questions from the field.
The company expects the program to further strengthen trust between franchise stores and headquarters and serve as an opportunity to build a field-centered cooperation system. In particular, with profitability recently showing signs of improvement, the company aims to enhance solidarity with franchise stores to further boost its business competitiveness. Through continuous management efficiency efforts, 7-Eleven reduced its first-quarter operating loss by 14.3 billion won from a year earlier, and expects performance to improve more clearly in the second and third quarters, which are peak seasons.
"Since the competitiveness of franchise stores is the competitiveness of the brand, shared growth with our operators is one of the most important values the company pursues," a 7-Eleven official said. "We will continue to expand shared-growth programs that reflect voices from the field to raise operational satisfaction, and steadily develop support systems that provide practical help."
