Irving Revealed as 7-Eleven's Potential New Home
DALLAS -- 7-Eleven Inc. could be leaving its Dallas home for nearby Irving, Texas.
Irving officials are offering the convenience store retailer incentives to relocate its headquarters and 1,250 employees to the soon-to-be developed Cypress Waters development, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
As part of the proposed incentive agreement, 7-Eleven is reportedly looking at moving its corporate offices to a new 300,000-square-foot office campus with a 500-car parking garage at the northwest corner of Ranch Trail and Interstate 635 in Irving, the news outlet reported.
For its part, 7-Eleven has remained silent on any possible move.
"We would be thrilled to have them," Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne told the Dallas Business Journal. "They are a fantastic international corporation that would fit right in with Irving. The location is key ... I'm optimistic."
When asked if 7-Eleven was serious about the move, she added, "I can't imagine if they weren't serious, they would have gone through all the steps to be up for public consideration." Citing a nondisclosure agreement, the mayor declined to discuss further details.
According to another area news source, The Dallas Morning News, people familiar with the confidential talks said the retailer has agreed to move to a custom-built campus in north Irving by the end of 2016. However, the deal hinges on the city's approval of more than $7 million in tax breaks. A vote is expected Thursday.
If the council approves the deal, the city will exempt 7-Eleven from most sales and property taxes for seven years -- worth at least $830,000. Irving would also use tax breaks to refund the developer, Crow-Billingsley, up to $6.4 million for infrastructure costs to build the 300,000-square-foot campus. Crow-Billingsley is an affiliated company of the Billingsley Co.
In turn, 7-Eleven would promise to continuously employ at least 800 workers at the new site, with an average salary of $100,000 or more. City officials said Irving will get at least $10 million out of the deal.
7-Eleven has been headquartered in central Dallas for decades and has occupied its current 240,000-square-foot home in the downtown Arts District for six years. Billingsley Co. owns 7-Eleven's current home, as CSNews Online previously reported.