One of the world's largest retailers failed to establish itself in India and is closing all stores in the country

One of the world's largest convenience store chains, 7-Eleven, has completely shut down its retail network in India, one of the largest consumer markets in the world. The company ceased operations of all 31 remaining stores in the country, approximately five years after entering the Indian market.

This is reported by Nikkei Asia and the Japanese news agency Jiji Press, whose material was published by Nippon.com.

All stores ceased operations by the end of September. At the end of 2025, the 7-Eleven network in India numbered about 60 locations; in less than a year, its presence decreased by roughly half, and then the retail business was completely wound down.

7-Eleven entered the Indian market in 2021 in partnership with Reliance Retail, the retail arm of one of India's largest conglomerates. The first store opened in Mumbai in October of that year. Reliance operated under a licensing agreement with Japan's Seven & i Holdings, which owns the brand.

However, the classic convenience store model failed to scale sufficiently in the Indian market. As The Economic Times writes, the chain faced two strong competitors at once: millions of traditional small local kirana stores and rapidly growing delivery services that bring groceries and everyday goods in minutes.

The partnership between 7-Eleven and Reliance Retail also failed to bring the format to stable profitability. As a result, the parties decided to end the five-year collaboration and close the stores.

The exit from India is a notable step for 7-Eleven, which has over 85,000 stores in various countries and is one of the largest chains of its format in the world. Unlike many other Asian markets where the brand built networks of thousands, in India it never achieved significant scale.

At the same time, the current store closures do not necessarily mean 7-Eleven is permanently abandoning India. Seven & i stated that it is considering various options for business development in the country in the long term, but has so far not announced either a new partner or plans to resume store operations.

Thus, at this moment, 7-Eleven has completely halted its retail presence in the Indian market.

Sources: Nikkei Asia, Nippon.com, The Economic Times