White Hen Pantry

White Hen Pantry

Industry	Retail
Founded	1965(1965)
Defunct	2013(2013)
Fate	Acquired by7-Eleven
Headquarters	Lombard, Illinois,US
Area served	United States
Products	Convenience stores

White Hen Pantry(known asWhite Henin theMidwest) was aLombard, Illinois-based chain of approximately 261 predominantlyfranchisee-ownedconvenience storeslocated in and aroundDetroit,Boston/ southernNew Hampshire,southernWisconsin,northwestIndianaand centralIllinoisareas of the United States. Most of the stores were open 24 hours and offered an array of standard convenience store fare such as coffees, cappuccinos, frozen and dry goods and toiletries. Many also had full delis serving boxed sandwiches and salads, name-brand meats and cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables. White Hen's array of services included catering options and sales of external holiday gift cards. Most stores also had ATMs and sold lottery tickets; White Hen was the largest ticket vendor of theIllinois Lotterybefore being acquired by7-Eleven.

Most of the White Hen Pantry locations were rebranded as 7-Eleven stores by the end of 2010.

History

20th century

White Hen Pantry was founded byJewel TeaCompany (nowJewel-Osco) asKwik Shoppeand began franchising in July 1965, borrowing the idea from Texas-based 7-11 stores which were the first convenience stores.The first location opened in 1965 with the name Kwik Shoppe and was located at 20 E. Golf Road in Des Plaines, IL. A few months later, it adopted the White Hen Pantry name, taken from Jewel's egg supplier, White Hen Egg Farms. The next stores to open, also in 1965, were located at 6 S. Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, IL, 1045 S. York Road in Bensenville, IL and 155 E. 1st Street in Elmhurst, IL.

AfterAmerican Storespurchased Jewel in 1984, White Hen Pantry was sold to its management team and became an independent company.

2000s

In 2001 it was sold to Clark Retail Enterprises, Inc., which immediately sold all 55 White Hen Pantry stores inMassachusettsandNew Hampshireto New England Pantry, Inc. This deal made New England Pantry a sub-franchisor of the White Hen Pantry brand, and its exclusive franchisor in theNew Englandarea.

In 2005 and the first part of 2006, White Hen franchises underwent a series of ups and downs. In the third quarter of 2005 the company planned to increase its store count in the Chicago area by as much as 25 over the course of 2006. While still foreseeing eventual growth, the company changed its immediate plans and planned to sell 15 of its stores in 2006. One explanation for its revamped course of action came from its push toward serving freshly prepared deli offerings to replace stagnating sales of tobacco and other traditional convenience store wares. In summer 2005, White Hen's push toward deli-fresh offerings was strong in Chicago, where it offered free samples of itsprivate labelPantry Select chips at an AugustChicago Cubsbaseball game.Its new deli-fresh focus reportedly failed to meet the needs of some of the many demographics to which the store catered, hurting the quick growth for which it had originally planned.

In line with its focus on deli-fresh goods, White Hen opened what it billed as a "store of the future" inChicago'sWicker Parkneighborhood on April 17, 2006. In addition to offering White Hen's standard fare, this particular venue offered "an expanded line-up of natural and organic foods, fresh Pantry Select green salads... and a toasted-to-order Hot & Fresh sandwich program with a state-of-the-art touch screen ordering system."

On August 11, 2006, White Hen Pantry, Inc. was purchased bySeven & I Holdings Co.,Japan's No. 1 retailer and the operator of7-Elevenconvenience stores in the United States.White HenCEOBrandon Barnholt cited the merger as a great opportunity for the company, its franchisers and its customers. In the months following the acquisition, White Hen stores continued to function as they had.

In July 2007, some White Hen stores began to be converted to 7-Eleven stores. Eventually, the White Hen name disappeared from the converted stores, having been replaced with the 7-Eleven branding.

2010s

The White Hen logo continued for a time to be used for some prepared foods such as sandwiches, under the "Pantry Select" brand. Deli counters and products were removed and replaced with standard 7-Eleven offerings. In October 2013, a White Hen Pantry store located inBoston, Massachusettsclosed, preparing for a conversion to7-Eleven.Some locations still existed until 2016.

External links

• Official Website (Chicago Area)
• New England Website