LOMBARD, Ill. -- Nancy Smith, a 26-year company employee and vice president of 7-Eleven Inc.'s Great Lakes Division, has been named president and CEO of White Hen Pantry.
Smith will give her full attention to White Hen, working from the chain's office in Lombard, Ill., supervising the sharing of best practices and facilitating the integration of our many systems and processes. Brandon Barnholt, White Hen's most recent CEO, will continue working with Smith and 7-Eleven in an advisory capacity.
Smith has extensive experience within 7[image-nocss] -Eleven, from training and operations to marketing and merchandising. Before becoming a division vice president in 2005, she held the position of vice president of field merchandising, vice president of marketing and communications, and was the category manager for 7-Eleven's signature Slurpee beverages.
As reported in CSP Daily News, 7-Eleven earlier this month purchased the White Hen chain, which operates and franchises 206 locations in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana and licenses another 55 locations in Boston. It was Dallas-based 7-Eleven's largest acquisition in 20 years, the company said.
With the addition of the White Hen stores, the number of stores 7-Eleven operates, franchises and licenses in North America increased to more than 7,100.
"Chicago is a growth market for 7-Eleven," Smith said when the deal was announced. "With the addition of White Hen, convenience becomes even more accessible to Chicago-area shoppers."
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