To franchise a 7-Eleven in Singapore you need at least S$75,000 in cash to start, and 7-Eleven will not lend you a cent of it. That sum buys a 5-year deal: a franchise fee from S$30,000, a S$40,000 refundable security deposit, and a S$5,000 training deposit. There is no monthly royalty, which sounds generous until you read the fine print on how the gross profit is shared. There is also a fee-waived route, the FMTP, that lets a fresh graduate start one store for around S$20,000. This is the honest 2026 breakdown of the cost, the eligibility rules, the work it actually demands, and whether the math leaves you better off than just keeping your job.
You are not buying a shop. 7-Eleven Singapore is owned by DFI Retail Group (the former Dairy Farm), which already builds, leases and stocks the stores. As a franchisee you take over a fully renovated, fully stocked outlet that comes with a past sales track record, then run it day to day under a 5-year agreement. The company picks the locations and supplies most of the merchandise; you supply the cash deposit, the management, and the six-day weeks.
Around half of 7-Eleven's Singapore stores are run by franchisees rather than head office, so this is a real, working programme and not a brochure fantasy. The trade-off is straightforward: lower setup risk than opening your own shop from scratch, in exchange for handing over control of pricing, range and a slice of every dollar of gross profit. If you want a wider look at how that bargain compares across brands, our guide to franchising in Singapore runs the same numbers across the market.
The headline figure 7-Eleven quotes is a minimum of S$75,000 to come on board, payable in full once you sign the Franchise Agreement. It splits into three buckets, and only one of them is money you never see again.
| Item | Amount | Refundable? | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise fee | From S$30,000 | No | The 5-year right to run the store; varies with the outlet's performance |
| Security deposit | S$40,000 | Yes, at end of term | Initial inventory, supplies, licences, permits and the cash float |
| Training deposit | S$5,000 | Yes, on completion | The 12-week training programme before you take over |
| Minimum total | S$75,000 | S$45,000 of it is refundable | Cash needed up front; no financing offered |
The cheapest legitimate way in is the Franchisepreneur Management Trainee Programme. 7-Eleven waives the S$30,000 franchise fee for your first store and trims the deposit, so the real out-of-pocket lands near S$20,000. One Singaporean, Jaymes Lee, started his first store on roughly S$20,000 of his own savings through this route and built up to seven stores before turning 30 (paying the full S$70,000-plus on the later outlets).
FMTP runs on a 2+2 year term rather than the standard 5, and you spend up to six months training as a paid 7-Eleven employee first. It is aimed squarely at fresh-ish graduates, so the eligibility window is tight.
The standard scheme and the FMTP have different bars. Both want someone who will be in the store full-time, with no second business and no day job pulling them away. You also apply as a sole proprietor and register for GST, which has its own running implications once turnover clears the threshold; if that is new to you, our GST glossary entry explains when registration kicks in.
The "no monthly royalty" line is the part people misread. You do not pay a flat monthly cut, but 7-Eleven still takes its share through the gross-profit arrangement baked into the agreement. The franchisee's take-home follows roughly this shape: gross profit, plus other income, minus 7-Eleven's charges, minus your operating expenses.
Those operating expenses are yours alone: staff salaries and benefits, a share of utilities, stock shrinkage and damaged goods, cash and inventory variances, plus licence and permit costs. 7-Eleven Singapore does not publish the exact percentage of gross profit it keeps (the often-quoted ~50% figure comes from 7-Eleven's US model and should not be assumed for Singapore). Before you sign anything, get the store-specific profit-and-loss statement 7-Eleven shows serious applicants and read the split in writing. Running those numbers against a realistic cost sheet in our budget calculator is the difference between a wage and a loss.
The honest framing: this is a full-time job that you paid to buy, not passive income. Stores trade 24/7, you work weekends and public holidays, and the 3am restock call is part of the deal.
Every franchisee clears a 12-week training programme covering in-house administration, store operations, management and team-member training, all on a full-time basis. FMTP trainees do a longer stint, up to six months, working inside a store as a paid employee before taking the keys.
The application starts on the official 7-Eleven Singapore franchising page, where you submit an enquiry form. From there it moves to assessment of your finances and fit, the training period, and finally the handover of a specific store. Because 7-Eleven assigns you an existing outlet, your earnings ceiling is heavily shaped by which store you are offered, so its track record matters more than almost anything else you decide.
Compare the two doors honestly. Opening your own convenience store means a higher cash outlay, full pricing freedom, and 100% of the upside if it works. The 7-Eleven route means a known brand, a stocked store, supplier relationships handled for you, and a known cost to enter, in exchange for a profit share and near-zero control over range and price.
For a graduate with limited capital, the FMTP's ~S$20,000 entry and waived fee is one of the cheapest ways to run a branded retail business in Singapore. For everyone else, the standard S$75,000 only pays off if the assigned store's P&L genuinely clears your salaries, your utilities share and 7-Eleven's cut with room left over. If you are weighing this against a leaner, lower-risk start, our home-based business guide is a useful counterweight before you commit the cash.
At least S$75,000 in cash as of 2026: a franchise fee from S$30,000 (non-refundable), a S$40,000 refundable security deposit, and a S$5,000 refundable training deposit. 7-Eleven does not provide any financing, so the full amount must come from your own savings or bank loan.
Yes, through the Franchisepreneur Management Trainee Programme (FMTP), which waives the S$30,000 fee for your first store. You still place a reduced security deposit (around S$20,000) on a 2+2 year term, so real out-of-pocket starts near S$20,000. It is limited to tertiary graduates with under six years of work experience.
There is no flat monthly royalty fee. Instead, 7-Eleven takes its share through a gross-profit arrangement in the franchise agreement. Your net profit is gross profit plus other income, minus 7-Eleven's charges, minus your own operating expenses such as wages, utilities and stock shrinkage.
Under the standard scheme you must be a Singapore Citizen or PR aged 21 or older, hold GCE 'O' levels or above, have good credit, register as a GST-registered sole proprietor, and commit to running the store full-time with no competing business. The FMTP route instead requires a tertiary qualification and under six years of work experience.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.