(Yicai Global) Aug. 22 -- 7-Eleven has started offering meal deliveries from all of its Beijing outlets as the convenience store chain that previously shunned takeout services looks to keep up with competitors.

7-Eleven's 251 shops in China's capital are already on Meituan-Dianping, the country's largest on-demand services platform, and the firm is considering joining with other meal delivery providers such as Ele.me, Jiemian News cited a company official in Beijing as saying.

"Calling for a takeaway isn't what our customers want," the same official had said in February. "What they want is convenience." The company was cautious about cooperating with meal delivery platforms and had no plans to offer such services, he added at the time.

Many of the Japanese-owned firm's competitors, including both convenience stores and supermarkets, are already offering delivery options throughout China, including Family Mart and Lawson, and supermarkets Carrefour and Lotus.

Some 280 of Family Mart's 1,000 Shanghai outlets already offer takeout through Baidu Waimai, which Ele.me bought in a USD800 million deal last year. In February, 212 of its major city stores, including Beijing and Shenzen, listed on Dada-JD Daojia, a grocery delivery firm run by China's second-biggest e-commerce firm JD.Com. Some 500 more are due to join the platform by the end of this year.

Editor: James Boynton