CP ALL

You can barely walk a block in Bangkok without coming upon a 7-Eleven (on some blocks, you’ll find more than one), which helps explain the strong results of its $15 billion franchise operator, CP All. The gleaming convenience stores have become as indispensable as they are ubiquitous (market share in the country is about 70%). Beyond snack foods (chilli-squid-flavored Lay’s chips, for example) and Slurpees (Thai style, of course), stores offer bill payment for cell phones and utility services, and will soon launch banking. Annualized total shareholder return for the company was 16% over the three years through Sept. 10, and analysts forecast (coincidentally) 7% to 11% annual future growth for the chain, which is trying to achieve the same omnipresence outside the Thai capital.