In the dark dark days of Covid-19 there was one event that ignited excitement among both expats and locals alike, and this was the imp[ending arrival of 7-Eleven Cambodia back in 2021. How though has it done and how does it compare with other Asian stores?
As difficult times go 2021 was a doozy for Cambodia, with a Coronavirus outbreak, lockdowns and even an alcohol ban, so when 7-Eleven Cambodia was launched it was genuinely an exciting time.
And I know this first hand, as at the time I not only covered it for Khmer Nights, but also later for Cambodia Investment Review. On that first day people lined up patiently only to be greeted by what can best be described as a lately empty store.
But the troubles did not end there, with there also being a stark lack of 7-Eleven food (or any food), but also simple things like ABA not being accepted and a general feeling that it was not all that different from a Kiwi Mart.
Much of this though was put down to opening days jitters, with the company continuing to grow exponentially.
Where are 7-Eleven Cambodia today?
As of the end of 2023 the company not only boated to have 100 stores nationwide, but the site of them is now relatively common, even now in “rural areas”, such as Poipet, meaning it been one of the more successful brans to enter Cambodia in the last 5 years.
Certain things have also been ironed out as well, with TrueMoney not being the only form of payment allowed, as well as classics like the slurpey also making an appearance.
7-Eleven Cambodia is also without doubt extremely popular, with almost every rest stop boasting one, while in popular cities such as Siem Reap you quite simply cannot move in the main store after 7 pm.
There is though one big problem with all this, 7-Eleven Cambodia is sadly not very good, particularly when compared to neighboring Thailand, where the store is more a distant cousin than a close relative. Why though is there such a disparity?
The trouble with 7-Eleven Cambodia
When it comes to the disparity in quality with Cambodia and its neighbors one of the key points perhaps is not what 7-Eleven Cambodia has, but rather what it does not, principle among these being food.
Go to a 7-Eleven in Thailand, the Philippines, or Hong Kong and it almost doubles up as a restaurant, with great seafood and weird snacks (Thailand), hot dogs (Philippines) and great sandwiches (Hong Kong). In Cambodia this has largely been shrunk down to Chinese style dumplings, which by and large are sold out as soon as they are put out.
This, as well as how lame 7-Eleven Cambodia is was something I put in a Tik-Tok video which went viral because many felt I was having a dig at Cambodia rather than an American corporation. Many though did agree with my stance, particularly those who had actually left the Kingdom.
In fact you barely need to leave the country to see it, with the two branches either side of the border being like night and day. And it is here also that the other major problem kicks in and that is price. What usually sets 7-Eleven apart is that it is cheap, but this is not really the case in Cambodia, with drinks and even candy costing not just more than in a mom and pop store,. But also considerably more than in Thailand.
In this respects it is almost like a luxury brand in Cambodia, while not actually offering all that much more than Kiwi Mart, Smile, or Lucky, with the later having one of the best ranges of candy and drinks in the country.
7-Eleven Cambodia is though very much here to stay, we can only hope that they up their game at some point…
Author: Gareth Johnson
Gareth Johnson is the founder of Young Pioneer Tours and has visited over 180+ countries. His passion is opening obscure destinations to tourism and sharing his experience of street food.
