7-Eleven plans expansion in provincial capitals

Seven-Eleven Beijing Co Ltd, the local offshoot of retail giant 7-Eleven Inc - which claims to be the world's largest convenience store chain with 46,000 stores in 16 countries - is planning a major expansion program in regional capitals across China.

Liu Yue, its vice-president, told China Daily the company is opening new stores in Qingdao, Shandong province, in November, and also eying more locations in provincial capitals including Wuhan, Chongqing and Changsha.

"We want to go into one or two places a year," Liu said. "The market is huge. But we are not going to go too fast. We need to prioritize and find the best partnerships."