Wagga Wagga’s first-ever 7-Eleven store officially opened its doors on Thursday (28 May), attracting a huge crowd on its first day that lined up for fuel, coffee and all its tasty treats.
The new outlet is located at 29 Pearson Street, on the former Wagga Bricks and Roofing site near the Bunnings complex.
The store offers barista-style coffee, Slurpees, snacks and convenience items, along with one of the chain’s biggest drawcards – the famous glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
The doughnuts, known for their soft texture and sweet glaze, have developed a cult following around the world and are a staple offering at many Australian 7-Eleven stores.
Cyclist Josef Winkler was among the first customers through the doors.
“I bought my Krispy Kreme doughnuts and they 100 per cent lived up to expectations,” he said.
“Overall, I was impressed. Compared to the city stores you see in Sydney and Canberra, it was very clean and nice.”
Mum Steph Kalis took her son Chase for an afternoon snack.
“A Facebook post informed me that a 7-Eleven was coming to Wagga so we came down after school to check it out,” she said.
“It’s pretty cool we have something like this, we usually only see this in Sydney and Melbourne.
“It was a very busy, there was a massive line up to get in, we couldn’t even get a park.”
Chase gave it a thumbs up too.
“I’m having the sour bubble gum slushy, it’s my favourite,” he said.
The store was built by Sydney-based developer Sevens Group, which also delivered the Mobil station on Hammond Avenue and the BP service centre at Gumly Gumly.
Senior project manager Corbin Bond said the company was proud to bring the international convenience chain to Wagga.
“It wasn’t our first in Wagga and probably won’t be our last,” he said.
“Our intention is there could be up to two additional 7-Elevens in Wagga and we are looking at opportunities for that.”
Mr Bond said the project was completed at impressive speed.
“We started building in January and got it built in April and opened in May, so we’re proud of a four-month turnaround time,” he said.
While now synonymous with 24-hour convenience stores, the 7-Eleven name actually dates back to the United States in the 1940s, when stores promoted their extended trading hours of 7 am to 11 pm, seven days a week – considered revolutionary at the time. Many modern stores, including the new Wagga outlet, now operate around the clock.
The 7-Eleven chain first arrived in Australia in 1977 with a store in Melbourne’s Oakleigh and has since grown to around 750 locations nationally.
For Wagga residents, however, the appeal may be far simpler.
It sells Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and it never closes.
Extracted in full from: https://regionriverina.com.au/massive-line-up-waggas-first-7-eleven-now-open-and-offering-krispy-kreme/126879/
