7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. After 70% of the company was acquired by an affiliate Ito-Yokado in 1991, it was reorganized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings. 7-Eleven operates, franchises, and licenses 78,029 stores in 19 countries and territories as of November 2021. While operating under its namesake brand globally, within the United States it operates as 7-Eleven nationally, as Speedway nationally but mostly in the Midwest & East Coast, and as Stripes Convenience Stores within the South Central United States; both Speedway and Stripes operate alongside 7-Eleven's namesake stores in several markets. 7-Eleven also operates A-Plus locations with the name licensed from owner and fellow Metroplex-based Energy Transfer Partners, though most of these stores have since been rebranded as standard 7-Eleven stores. Etymologies The company's first outlets were in Dallas, named "Tote'm Stores" because customers "toted" away their purchases. Some stores featured "native" totem poles in front of the store. In 1946, the chain's name was changed from "Tote'm" to "7-Eleven" to reflect the company's new, extended hours, 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, seven days per week. In November 1999, the corporate name of the US company was changed from "The Southland Corporation" to "7-Eleven Inc." Following 7-Eleven's adoption of its current logo in 1968, a lowercase n was used in the logo because the first wife of John P. Thompson Sr., the company's president during the 1960s, thought the all-capitals version seemed a little aggressive. She suggested the change "to make the logo look more graceful." History In 1927, Southland Ice Company employee John Jefferson Green began selling ice, then he started selling eggs, milk, and bread from one of 16 ice house storefronts in Dallas, with permission from one of Southland's founding directors, Joe C. Thompson Sr. Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were available, Thompson theorized that selling products such as bread and milk in convenience stores would reduce the need for customers to travel long distances for basic items. Thompson eventually bought the Southland Ice Company and turned it into the Southland Corporation, which oversaw several locations in the Dallas area. In 1928, a manager named Jenna Lira brought a totem pole as a souvenir from