NY1:
Anthony Fazzino is the owner of the A&C Superette in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, a family-owned grocery started by his parents 33 years ago.
“We can do pretty much as much as we want,” says Fazzino. “We don’t have to go to board meetings or answer to people about certain items that we have to carry or should carry.”
Meanwhile, in Queens Village, Queens, Peter Patel stocks the shelves of his newly franchised 7-Eleven. He owned and operated an independent convenience store at the location for the past five years, but finds being a franchisee much more convenient.
“It’s the name recognition. I mean 7-Eleven brings its own, you know, and we’ve seen some clientele that we’ve never seen in previous stores that are coming into 7-Eleven,” says Patel. “And because of their programs, their advertisements, it just helps us out tremendously.”
Patel’s store is the 100th location to be converted by 7-Eleven’s Business Conversion Program. Franchising Senior Vice President Jeff Schenck says franchises not only get national name recognition out of the deal, but also a built-in support system that independent businesses may lack.
“We have a field consultant that visits with our franchises twice a week and brings them new merchandizing programs, helps them solve operational issues, provides training and helps them be successful,” says Schenck.
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