DALLAS – Between now and June 30, 7-Eleven Inc. will waive the franchise fee on a select number of its U.S. stores available for franchise, a savings of up to $80,000. The Zero Franchise Fee Initiative was announced last week at the company’s annual franchisee convention.

While the more than 200 available stores are located in cities across the country, many of the Zero Franchising Fee opportunities are in markets where 7-Eleven has acquired a significant number of stores.

Over the last four years, 7-Eleven has grown its store base by more than 1,300 units. With a well-established customer base in these new locations, the company is looking to transition the stores to franchise operations.

The convenience retailer is offering these stores to qualified, prospective franchisees as well as existing 7-Eleven franchisees who want to grow their retail business.

“These locations offer would-be entrepreneurs a chance to go into business for themselves without the expense of the one-time franchise fee,” said Greg Franks, vice president of franchising systems. “We opted to waive the fee on these specific stores to allow the new owner a chance to build his or her customer base and business, while backed by our proprietary systems, processes and ongoing support.”