Head to head · Convenience Retail✓ VERIFIED · 2026-07-12
7-Eleven vs Subway: units, growth & AI adoption
7-Eleven leads on AI adoption (74/100 vs 58/100), while 7-Eleven is the larger system by unit count (85,000+ vs 36,000+). 7-Eleven is growing faster year-over-year (+5.1%). Data verified Q3 2026.
| Metric | 7-Eleven | Subway |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Convenience Retail | QSR / Fast Food |
| Headquarters | Japan | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 85,000+ ◂ | 36,000+ |
| Unit growth YoY | +5.1% ◂ | +1.1% |
| AI Adoption Score | 74/100 ◂ | 58/100 |
| Operations AI | 80 ◂ | 55 |
| Marketing AI | 68 ◂ | 66 |
| Training AI | 65 ◂ | 52 |
| Data infrastructure | 82 ◂ | 59 |
| Region | APAC | North America |
| Index rank | #9 ◂ | #31 |
7-Eleven
The world's largest franchise system by unit count uses AI-driven demand forecasting and automated ordering across its Japanese and Southeast Asian networks.
FULL 7-ELEVEN PROFILE →Subway
One of the most-franchised brands globally, mid-pack on AI adoption: digital ordering and loyalty personalization are live, unit-level AI operations tooling is still limited.
FULL SUBWAY PROFILE →Franchise Intelligence Index
Compare every tracked system — full benchmarks, updated quarterly.
SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK