7-Eleven sales in Philippines steady amid rising costs

MANILA, Philippines — The exclusive licensor of 7-Eleven stores in the country said its sales have held steady despite rising costs from the Middle East crisis, even as some goods begin to post price increases.

Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC) chair Victor Paterno told reporters on Thursday that the company has yet to see a drop in demand, with convenience stores benefiting from their proximity to consumers as higher fuel costs discourage longer trips.

While some items have become more expensive—such as hotdogs and siopao—due to higher input and energy costs, this has yet to dent sales across 7-Eleven’s offerings, according to Paterno.

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“We haven’t seen a decrease in sales due to the crisis,” he said.

Risk management

To manage risks, PSC has moved to hedge its exposure to rising electricity costs, which Paterno flagged as the main pressure point as liquefied natural gas prices climb.

The company is aggregating the power demand of its stores, allowing multiple sites within a common area to pool consumption.

This initiative now covers a significant portion of its more than 4,500 stores, Paterno said.

On the logistics side, PSC is also preparing for potential diesel supply constraints that could disrupt distribution across its network of around 600 delivery trucks.

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5,000 stores by end-2026

Despite the cost pressures, PSC is keeping its expansion plans intact.

PSC aims to open more than 400 new stores by the end of 2026.

Paterno said the rollout is backed by a capital expenditure budget of about P4 billion to P5 billion this year.

In 2025, PSC spent P4.39 billion in capital expenditures, up 11.8 percent from P3.93 billion the year before.

Most of the planned stores have already broken ground, leaving little room to slow down without affecting next year’s pipeline, Paterno said.

“You just keep going. The only time I put the brakes on was the pandemic,” he added, noting that the current crisis differs from the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were mobility restrictions in place.

As such, Paterno said PSC is pushing ahead with its goal to open 5,000 stores by yearend.

As of end-2025, it operated 4,491 stores nationwide, with 53 percent company-owned and 47 percent franchised. /dda