Everybody Loves a Winner!: Team 7-Eleven(R) Fuels Opportunities for New Product Development, Co-Branding After Winning 2004 Indy

Everybody Loves a Winner!: Team 7-Eleven(R) Fuels Opportunities
for New Product Development, Co-Branding After Winning 2004 IndyCar(R) Series
Championship 


DALLAS, April 7  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Just as Team 7-Eleven(R) Driver Tony
Kanaan revs up to defend his title in the 2005 IndyCar(R) Series after winning
the 2004 championship, 7-Eleven, Inc. (NYSE:SE) is racing to bring new and
exclusive products with Team 7-Eleven ties to consumers.  To capitalize on its
"team merchandising" philosophy of working with its suppliers to create items
for 7-Eleven(R) that are "first, best or only," the nation's leading
convenience retailer will introduce more than 20 items in participating U.S.
stores sporting the IndyCar Series logo, Team 7-Eleven graphics or photos of
winning driver Kanaan, who drives the No. 11 car for Andretti Green Racing(R).

"Tony Kanaan's winning the IRL championship has only served to increase
awareness for both our brand and our partners' brands," said Kevin Elliott,
7-Eleven vice president of merchandising, "and this year, we have doubled the
breadth of dedicated IRL-related products.  It's a great platform for us to
differentiate our brand, and it allows us to offer our customers an ever-
increasing lineup of exclusive products that evoke the excitement of the
IndyCar Series."

Supplier sponsors returning for the 2005 season are Hershey (NYSE:HSY), Kraft
Foods (NYSE:KFT) , Nestle Waters and Energizer (NYSE:ENR); new ones include
Nestle Foods (Other OTC: NSRGF.PK), Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO/CCE), America Online and
Pringles (NYSE:PG).  New Team 7-Eleven products can be found across all store
categories.  Team 7-Eleven branded items, nearly all of which are available
exclusively at participating U.S. 7-Eleven(R) stores, slated to be introduced
in April and May:

  --    Coca-Cola - Secret shoppers award all-expenses-paid trips to Indy
        500 to 7-Eleven customers caught buying Coca-Cola products
  --    Arizona Iced Tea - Third year to participate with Team 7-Eleven;
        product highlights Tony Kanaan's championship season
  --    Powerade 32-ounce bottle with graphics of Tony Kanaan
  --    Nestle Waters - special Tony Kanaan IRL display featuring .5 liter
        six-packs in the Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland
        Spring and Zephyrhills brands.
  --    Fruit 2O - special packaging with Tony Kanaan and race car graphics
  --    Reese's Big Cup-Big Gulp(R) - special display featuring Tony Kanaan
        and offering discount on Reese's Big Cup when Big Gulp fountain
        drink is purchased
  --    Pringles - racing facts and Team 7-Eleven trivia actually printed on
        the face of each chip; special-sized package sports graphics of Tony
        Kanaan and race car
  --    Hershey's Payday PRO(R) Protein Bar - product developed exclusively
        for 7-Eleven by Hershey; wrapper features Tony Kanaan and Team
        7-Eleven car
  --    Energizer Batteries - Special product display features the Team
        7-Eleven race car
  --    Power Bar Triple-Threat - special Team 7-Eleven display
  --    Planters 12-ounce Cocktail Peanuts - graphics of Tony Kanaan and car
  --    AOL PrePaid Internet CD and Airtime Cards
  --    Big Bite(R) hot dog carrier - features photo of Team 7-Eleven



Team merchandising, an important business philosophy 7-Eleven employs to
co-develop new products with its suppliers, played a key role in bringing many
of these new products to market.  In keeping with the high-performance
requirements of race car driving, Kanaan's affinity for strenuous individual
sports like cycling and running, as well as consumers' growing interest in
performance foods, Hershey Foods and 7-Eleven teamed up to develop the Payday
PRO Protein Bar, a high-protein version of their popular candy bar.

"This is team merchandising at its best," Elliott said.  "Racing is not just
about the guy driving the car, but everyone on the team who makes sure he has
the best car on the track.  We work with our suppliers daily to make sure that
we can bring products to our customers that are 'first, best or only' in the
marketplace."

Other Team 7-Eleven and IndyCar Series logo items for sale in stores are
one-time-use cameras, Styrofoam coolers, Team 7-Eleven logo T-shirts compressed
and shrink-wrapped in car-shapes, lighters and die-cast reproductions of the
Team 7-Eleven race car.  Products will be available on special displays during
April and May.

"7-Eleven, the IRL and Andretti Green Racing are all high-performance
entities," Elliott said, "making this the perfect partnership on and off the
track, and it's a great platform for us to introduce exciting, branded products
that our consumers will find only at 7-Eleven." According to Ken Ungar, senior
vice president of business affairs for the Indy Racing League, the Team
7-Eleven/IRL product assortment is the biggest consumer initiative in the
history of the IndyCar Series.

"The additional exposure 7-Eleven brings to IRL racing," Ungar said, "with its
6 million daily customers and the greatly increased number of products in their
stores promoting Tony Kanaan, Team 7-Eleven and the IndyCar Series, will give
broad, coast-to-coast visibility to the league and the defending champion."

The race track isn't the only place fans can see Tony or the Team 7-Eleven race
car.  A show car is touring the nation through October, appearing at community
events and store promotions.  Kanaan also will make appearances in select race
cities during the season.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience
retailing industry.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates or
franchises approximately 5,800 7-Eleven(R) stores in the United States and
Canada and licenses approximately 22,000 7-Eleven stores in 17 other countries
and U.S. territories throughout the world.  During 2004, 7-Eleven stores
worldwide generated total sales of more than $41 billion.  Find more online at
http://www.7-eleven.com/ .

   CONTACT:  KEVIN GARDNER
             7-ELEVEN, INC.
             214.828.7345
             

DATASOURCE: 7-Eleven, Inc.



CONTACT:  Kevin Gardner of 7-Eleven, Inc., [phone] or





Web site:  http://www.7-eleven.com/ 

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