White Hen Pantry

White Hen Pantry
Company type	Private
Industry	Convenience stores
Founded	1965
Defunct	2013
Fate	Acquired by 7-Eleven; most stores converted to 7-Eleven outlets by 2010
Headquarters	Lombard, Illinois, United States
Area served	Midwest, New England, including Detroit, Boston area, southern New Hampshire, southern Wisconsin, northwest Indiana, central Illinois
Products	Convenience store products including coffee, cappuccinos, frozen items, dry groceries, personal care products, deli sandwiches and salads, fresh produce, lottery tickets

White Hen Pantry—referred to simply as White Hen in the Midwest—was a convenience store chain headquartered in Lombard, Illinois. The brand operated roughly 261 locations, most of which were franchise-owned, situated across regions including Detroit, the Boston area and southern New Hampshire, southern Wisconsin, northwest Indiana, and central Illinois. The majority of these outlets maintained 24-hour operations, providing a variety of typical convenience store products such as coffee, cappuccinos, frozen items, dry groceries, and personal care products. Numerous locations featured full-service delis offering boxed sandwiches and salads, along with well-known brands of meats and cheeses, plus fresh produce. White Hen also extended services like catering and sold third-party holiday gift cards. Additional amenities at many stores included ATMs and lottery ticket sales; notably, White Hen was the top retailer for Illinois Lottery tickets prior to its acquisition by 7-Eleven.

By the close of 2010, most White Hen Pantry stores had been converted into 7-Eleven outlets.

2000s

In 2001, ownership transferred to Clark Retail Enterprises, Inc., which promptly divested all 55 White Hen Pantry locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to New England Pantry, Inc. This transaction established New England Pantry as a sub-franchisor for the White Hen brand and granted it exclusive franchising rights within the New England region.

During the summer of 2005, White Hen intensified its emphasis on deli-fresh products in Chicago. For instance, at an August Chicago Cubs game, it promoted its private-label Pantry Select chips through complimentary samples. Despite this initiative, the deli-focused approach reportedly did not align well with some of the diverse customer segments served by White Hen, which impeded the rapid expansion initially envisioned.

Reflecting its deli-centric strategy, on April 17, 2006, White Hen launched what it described as a "store of the future" in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Beyond the usual product lineup, this location featured an enhanced selection of natural and organic foods, fresh Pantry Select green salads, and a Hot & Fresh sandwich program with toasted sandwiches made to order via an advanced touchscreen ordering system.

2010s

For a period, the White Hen emblem remained visible on select ready-to-eat items, including sandwiches marketed under the "Pantry Select" label. Traditional deli counters and associated products were phased out and supplanted by the conventional 7-Eleven merchandise lineup. In October 2013, a White Hen Pantry outlet in Boston, Massachusetts ceased operations to facilitate its transition into a 7-Eleven store.

References

External links

Template:Convenience stores