7-Eleven PHL plans 400 stores, up to P5-B capex for 2026

LISTED Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC) said it has set aside up to P5 billion in capital expenditures (capex) this year as it plans to open 400 additional stores by yearend, pushing ahead with expansion despite global uncertainties linked to the Middle East conflict.

“I think capex is P4 billion or P5 billion,” PSC Chairman Jose Victor P. Paterno told reporters on the sidelines of Franchise Asia Philippines’ 2026 International Franchise Conference on Thursday.

He said the company plans to open 400 new 7-Eleven stores this year despite oil price shocks from the ongoing war in the Middle East.

“We can’t really slow down. We have 400 stores opening hopefully by the end of the year, and those have already broken ground,” Mr. Paterno said.

He added that more than half of the planned store openings will be in the Visayas and Mindanao.

PSC is the exclusive licensee of the 7-Eleven convenience store brand in the Philippines and operates more than 4,500 stores nationwide.

Mr. Paterno said the company remains on track to expand its network to 5,000 stores this year.

Despite the global oil crisis weighing on retail prices, he said the company expects to perform better than during the pandemic, when mobility restrictions pushed consumers to shop more in supermarkets.

He said convenience stores near residential areas could benefit as consumers look to save on travel costs.

“We haven’t seen a decrease in sales due to the crisis,” Mr. Paterno said. “We’re trying to keep operational costs down by hedging power.”

More than half of 7-Eleven stores in the country are franchised, he said.

PSC reported a 5.51% decline in its full-year 2025 net income to P3.6 billion from P3.81 billion a year earlier, according to its latest annual report posted on April 13.

At the local bourse on Thursday, PSC shares closed unchanged at P34 apiece. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz