Task 7. Listen to the story once again and complete the missing words. 7-Eleven is the world's largest chain of convenience stores. Even larger than 1. __ Its stores are located in 2. __ countries, with its largest markets being Japan, the United States, 3. __ Globally, it operates franchises or licenses more than 4. __ stores. They serve approximately 5. __ million customers every day. The company originated in 6. __ in Dallas, Texas, USA , when an employee of Southland Ice Company, Joe C. Thompson , started selling milk, eggs and bread from 7. __ Although there were already some 8. __ in the area, Thompson , discovered that selling basic items such as bread and milk reduced the need for people to travel longer distances to grocery stores Thompson eventually bought the 3 __ and turned it into the Southland Corporation that soon opened several locations in the Dallas area. Initially, these stores were open from 10. __ while most competing stores opened later and closed much earlier. The company began to use the 7-Eleven name in 1946 , and by 1952, had opened its 11. __ store. In 1963 , 7-Eleven experimented with a 12. __ . Aggressive marketing strategies and careful attention to consumer trends propelled the company to unprecedented growth throughout the 70' and mid 80's Despite stiff competition from similar retailers, 7-Eleven remains at the top the convenience store market. In 13. __ , after placing in the top 10 respectable 14. __ times, the company was named the number one franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, beating out Subway who had held the number one spot for 15. __ years