Nationally, 7-Eleven is looking to open 250 stores in 2010 and more than 300 in 2011 on top of the 200 it expects to have opened in 2009 and the 170 it opened in 2008. The company says the growth is coming from acquisitions and business conversions as well as developing new locations. The company has tripled the size of its Northern California real estate team in the past two years to prepare for the expansion.

"We are committed to adding 50-plus new stores to the 500 we already have in Northern California," says 7-Eleven's new store development executive Dan Porter. "We want to quickly identify new locations and take advantage of opportunities throughout the region."

Porter says the company will pursue numerous types of real estate development in both urban and suburban locations, including end-cap space in shopping centers and free-standing stores. The company also wants to be a part of urban renewal in its growth markets.