DALLAS - In Texas, home of the most convenience stores in the United States (14,226, to be exact), the convenience retail scene is hot between two of the most dynamic companies in the business: 7-Eleven and QuikTrip. This is great for consumers, but fierce competition between two retail giants.

James Massey, 7-Eleven??s real estate manager for 7-Eleven in Texas, told NBCDFW.com that 7-Eleven has 270 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, with 15 more stores expected by year??s end, and another 75 in the next three years.

However, not all of the stores will have fueling stations. "Consumption of cigarettes is down, beer is about flat, and sodas have been declining or flat over the last several years, so if you want to grow your business, you have to do something else," Massey told the news source, adding that the retailer is responding to consumer demand for more fresh food options, such as fruits and fresh salads.

"We also introduce 20 new products a week, so if things come out, other things have to come in, and that's how we find out what the customers want," Massey added. "It's a low-cost way to find out what the customers do want. If they buy it, it stays. If they don't buy it, it doesn't stay."

Then there??s Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip, which has 76 stores in North Texas and five more are under construction. Mike Thornbrugh, QuikTrip spokesman, told the news source that the retailer is planning 8 to 10 stores in North Texas per year, and chose North Texas for its expansion plans because DFW is a growing area.

"There is a tremendous population base. People use their vehicles quite a bit, and they're thirsty, and they're hungry," Thornbrugh told the new source. "As the population continues to grow in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I mean, QuikTrip is going to build a lot more stores."

And, similar to 7-Eleven, QuikTrip customers are demanding fresh food options.

"The fresh-food market ?" there's no question, that's where we're headed," he said. "We recognize it's going to take us a long time to do it the way we want to, but we're very patient."