7-Eleven Says ‘Show Us Your Wares’

Franchising.com:

7-Eleven, Inc. is looking for the next Slurpee® beverage, portable grill product, eco-friendly packaging, kid-appealing toy or whiz-bang prepaid service at an invitation-only Innovation event in June.

The world’s leading convenience retailer is asking suppliers, vendors and manufacturers to apply to participate in its third Innovation event June 10-11, 2008, at its headquarters in Dallas. At that time, finalists can showcase their ideas for consideration by the company’s senior merchandising team.

‘When we last held this event in 2002, we received some 400 applications and selected 15 companies for face-to-face reviews,’ said Kevin Elliott, 7-Eleven’s senior vice president of merchandising and logistics. ‘We want to expand the program to 2 days and bring more products, services and capabilities that meet the ever-changing needs of our convenience-oriented customers.’