IRVING, Texas – 7-Eleven Inc., the largest convenience retail chain in the world, recently celebrated the opening of its 60,000th store.

7-Eleven started out as Southland Ice Company in Oak Cliff, Texas, 89 years ago in 1927. In 1946, with stores open from 7 am to 11 pm, the name was changed to 7-Eleven. Stores started staying open around the clock in 1971.

7-Eleven expanded into Canada in 1969 and Mexico in 1971 as part of joint ventures. In 1974, 7-Eleven expanded to Japan with Seven-Eleven Japan, which became the parent company in November 2005. Since then, 7-Eleven has opened stores in Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia and the UAE through Area License and Master Franchise Agreements. The first 7-Eleven store in Vietnam is expected to open in Spring 2017, expanding the company’s operations to 18 countries.

“The 7-Eleven story is amazing and inspiring; we started as a small local ice house and have grown over the years store-by-store, community-by-community, and country-by-country into an iconic global brand,” said Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven president and CEO. “We will continue to grow by staying focused on the constantly changing convenience needs of our customers and by staying committed to the communities we serve.”

Last year, 7-Eleven opened one store every 130 minutes, or approximately 4,000 stores.