7-Eleven Inc. started out as an ice house in Dallas, Texas, in 1927. It is one of the world's largest operators, franchisors and licensors of convenience stores. The company operates, franchises and licenses around 7,100 stores in the United States and Canada. Additionally, 7-Eleven master franchisees, licensees and affiliates operate more than 32,000 7-Eleven and other convenience stores in other countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.