Shadowing Practice: Why 7-Eleven Failed In Indonesia - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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There are more than 60,000 7-Elevens across the planet, but there is one country where the convenience store chain flopped.
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There are more than 60,000 7-Elevens across the planet, but there is one country where the convenience store chain flopped.
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Indonesia.
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In 2017, the chain of mini markets closed all of its stores there.
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Here's why 7-Eleven failed in Indonesia.
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Let's go back to 2009 when 7-Eleven got its start in the country.
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7-Eleven's Indonesian rollout was run by a local operator, PT Modern International.
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Contrary to its American counterpart that capitalized on to-go items and late-night munchies, 7-Eleven in Indonesia became a trendy hangout spot for locals.
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It offered traditional 7-Eleven items like Slurpees and snacks, but also fresh local food and alcohol.
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and alcohol.
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7-Eleven was very popular with university students, we have the 18 to 25 age range.
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It was a place for them to hang out at all hours of the day, all hours of the night, before the alcohol ban that was imposed in 2015.
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This was a very popular spot to hang out, have a beer after class or after work, have free Wi-Fi, have a bite to eat.
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As the business took off, Modern soon started to expand within the capital, Jakarta.
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It opened its 21st store by 2010, and it hit 100 locations in 2012.
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In 2014, the company hit peak sales of around 78 million with 190 stores.
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The future of 7-Eleven in Indonesia seemed promising.
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The stores remained crowded, but there was one problem.
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People weren't spending money.
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where actually there are some comments that, yes, there's a huge crowd in 7-Eleven, but they might just buy one drink, one fret and sit for three hours.
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The company also attributed its lack of sales to intense competition from existing and new competitors.
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By 2016, the number of retail outlets in Indonesia had grown from 12,000 to 40,000 in just under a decade, with many markets being the sector's fastest growing segment.
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Two of 7-Eleven's biggest competitors were Indonesian convenience stores Indomerit and Alphamart.
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Both chains have a long history in the country and are top players in Indonesia's convenience store market.
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7-Eleven had 190 stores in the country, but its competitor store count absolutely squashed that.
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As of 2017, there were more than 10,000 Alphamarts and roughly 15,000 Indomerits in Indonesia, giving Alphamart a 38% share of the market and Indomerit 47%.
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That was the year 7-Eleven closed all of its shops.
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But before that, it held just 0.7% of the market.
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Regulatory issues also posed a major problem for 7-Eleven.
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In 2015, Indonesia banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in convenience stores and minimarts.
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After the alcohol ban took effect, 7-Eleven's net sales dropped by nearly 24 percent over the next year.
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Unlike 7-Eleven, its rivals Indomerit and Alphamart actually reported revenue gains that year.
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Alphamart and Indomerit were able to withstand the ban because they offered a wider range of products and services.
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7-Eleven's geographic reach posed another big problem.
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The convenience store chain never managed to expand beyond Jakarta and its surrounding cities, but its rivals did.
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They are located in Jakarta, whereas other mini-marties can expand outside Jakarta.
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One is, I think, the regulations for foreign ownership or foreign franchise of convenience stores.
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Because Inumar and Alphamart, Alphamart and Inumar are basically local brands.
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So they have less restriction in terms of expansion to other cities and regions.
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Modern also cited Indonesia's economic slowdown as a reason for its diminishing revenue.
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The chain closed down 25 underperforming stores in 2016 to cut down operation losses.
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And Modern closed the remainder of its 7-Eleven stores in 2017.
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However, a spokesperson from 7-Eleven said, Indonesia is an important country for us.
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This is not the end for 7-Eleven's business.
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The company is hoping to find a new partner to renew its efforts, and it has good reason to believe the right international partner will make all the difference.
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Take Japan.
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7-Eleven entered the country in 1974.
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It partnered with Japanese chain Ito Yukato, forming York 7 Company to operate its stores.
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It was so successful that in 2005 it bought out the company.
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7 & I Holdings became the global owner of the American chain.
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Today, there are more than 20,000 7-Elevens in Japan.
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The U.S.
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has less than 9,000.
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So seeking a new international partner may be the key to its success.
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Indonesian consumers will just have to wait and see.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

The video titled "Why 7-Eleven Failed In Indonesia" provides an excellent context for practicing English speaking skills. It discusses the rise and fall of a popular convenience store chain in a foreign market, offering specific examples and business terminology that enhance listening and speaking abilities. Engaging with this material can help learners understand how to express complex ideas clearly and concisely, especially when discussing business failures and market analysis. By using the shadowing technique, you can mimic the speaker's tone and rhythm, which will improve your fluency and pronunciation.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

While watching, pay attention to several key grammatical structures and phrases used by the speaker:

  • Past Perfect Tense: "By 2016, the number of retail outlets had grown..." This structure emphasizes the completion of the action before a specific point in the past, making it useful for describing historical developments.
  • Conditional Sentences: "If 7-Eleven had expanded beyond Jakarta, it might have thrived." This structure is useful for discussing hypothetical situations and potential outcomes.
  • Passive Voice: "The ban was imposed in 2015." The passive voice is often used in business contexts to focus on actions rather than the subject performing them, enhancing formal communication.
  • Comparative and Superlative Forms: The speaker compares 7-Eleven to its competitors, emphasizing market share and reasons for failure, which is essential in discussions about competition and strategy.

Using such structures in your speech can improve your ability to articulate complex ideas in exams like the IELTS speaking practice.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Throughout the video, several words and phrases might present pronunciation challenges:

  • “Convenience”: Be careful with the stress on the second syllable (con-VEN-ience), as mispronouncing it can lead to confusion.
  • “Alcohol”: This word can be tricky; ensure you pronounce both syllables clearly (AL-co-hol) to avoid miscommunication.
  • “Market”: The speaker mentions “market share” frequently, so ensure you can clearly distinguish between “market” (MAR-ket) and “marketed” (MAR-ket-ed) when using them in sentences.

By focusing on these details as you practice your shadow speech through this video, you will gain a clearer grasp of essential terms and improve your overall clarity in spoken English.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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