7-Eleven to close ‘hundreds of locations’ in Canada; Snap reducing North American workforce by 1,000
Convenience chain 7‑Eleven plans to close “hundreds of locations” across Canada and the United States this year, a move that could affect thousands of front‑line workers and reshape staffing strategies across the retail and service sectors, according to a report.
The North American operator expects to shut 645 stores during its 2026 fiscal year while opening 205 new locations over the same period, CBC reported, citing information from the company’s recent earnings filings.
That equates to a net reduction of more than 400 outlets across the region.
Social media company Snap also announced that it plans to cut 1,000 full-time positions from its North American workforce - 16 per cent of the approximately 5,200 it has across the US and Canada - as part of cost-cutting measures and a strategy leveraging AI, the Canadian Press reported.
In a letter to employees on Wednesday, Snap asked all North American employees to work from home.
In 2025, Hudson’s Bay Company announced it is closing shop, and over 8,300 workers were left unemployed. Meanwhile, Starbucks also announced in September 2025 that it was set to close a number of its coffeehouses across North America, including Canada, and eliminate approximately 900 non-retail jobs as part of a sweeping restructuring effort aimed at strengthening its core business and enhancing the customer experience.
Affected 7-Eleven locations remain unspecified
The 7-eleven closures “include the conversion to wholesale fuel stores,” Japan‑based parent Seven & i Holdings reported in its financial filings, according to CBC.
The company has been steadily expanding its wholesale fuel operations in North America, which accounted for more than 900 locations as of December 2025, according to the report.
The company has not yet specified which communities will lose stores. Human Resources Director Canada has reached out to the company but is yet to get a response. Also, HRD has not seen any further announcement on this development.
In an April 9 report cited by CBC, Seven & i said that in North America “although the economy remained robust, personal consumption also began to soften” during its 2025 fiscal year – “particularly among low‑income households, as inflation continued to weigh on spending.”
At the same time, CBC reported that store openings outside North America are expected to outpace closures, with Seven‑Eleven Japan planning to close about 350 stores while opening 550 locations. Seven & i forecasts a 9.4 per cent decline in revenue for the current fiscal year, to nearly 9.45 trillion yen (about $81.95 billion Cdn), prompting a more selective allocation of capital and people across regions.
Snap cutting expenses, increasing AI use
Snap expects to incur $95 million to $130 million in costs from its job cuts, which include more than 300 open positions, but said in the employee letter it will reduce annualized expenses by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026. The company also pointed to advances in AI are helping streamline its operations, the Canadian Press reported.
