The convenience store chain that is the world’s largest franchise by number of locations is 7-Eleven.
The business began in 1927 as an ice-and-fuel retailer in Dallas, Texas, originally called Southland Ice Company. Its stores adopted the 7-Eleven name in 1946 to advertise extended opening hours, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The brand later became closely associated with round-the-clock convenience retailing.
Franchising drove much of its international growth. A Japanese licensee opened the first Japanese store in 1974, and Japan eventually became the network’s largest national market. The parent company, Seven & i Holdings, now operates the brand across numerous countries, while local master franchisees run many stores.
People sometimes confuse “largest franchise” with the largest restaurant franchise. McDonald’s, Subway and KFC are enormous restaurant systems, but 7-Eleven has a substantially larger global store network. Store totals can change as companies open, close or reclassify locations, yet the answer remains the standard one for this wording.