7-Eleven, the enduring convenience-store model, plans to shut greater than 400 “underperforming” places throughout North America, its Japanese-based guardian disclosed on Thursday.

A portion of the 13,000 7-Eleven places throughout the U.S. and Canada are experiencing slowing gross sales, much less foot site visitors and inflationary pressures, Seven & I Holdings said in a quarterly earnings report. The corporate plans to shut 444 places, or roughly 3%, of its North American shops. 

It additionally operates greater than 21,000 shops in Japan.

Cigarette purchases, at one time a key gross sales class for comfort shops, have fallen 26% since 2019, with a shift in gross sales to different nicotine merchandise not making up a lot of the distinction, the chain famous.

“The North American financial system remained strong general because of the consumption of high-income earners, regardless of a persistently inflationary, elevated rate of interest and deteriorating employment setting,” Seven & I mentioned in a launch. “There was a extra prudent method to consumption, notably amongst middle- and low-income earners.”

The retailer declined to supply any particulars as to the places of the shops to be closed or when the closures would happen.

“Aligned with our long-term progress technique, we constantly assessment and optimize our portfolio to ship comfort the place, when and the way clients want it. As a part of this, we made the choice to optimize quite a lot of noncore property that don’t match into our progress technique. On the identical time, we proceed to open shops in areas the place clients are in search of extra comfort,” 7-Eleven informed CBS MoneyWatch.