7-Eleven Australia

In 2018 volunteers collected and catalogued more than 187,000 pieces of trash from beach cleanups around the world to find out which corporations are contributing the most to the global plastic pollution problem. This company ranked among the top 10 plastic polluters in the world, even though they only operate within Australia.
Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2018)

A 2015 investigation by Fairfax Media & Four Corners revealed that this company is ruthlessly rorting wages of its workers. Many workers are paid as little as $10 per hour, and up to two-thirds of its stores are ripping off their workers. The range of apparently illegal activity by franchisees extends beyond wage fraud and includes blackmail and withholding passports and drivers licences of staff.
Source: Fairfax (2015)

In June 2014 the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) commenced an Inquiry into allegations that significant underpayment of wages and falsification of employment records were occurring across much of this company's network. The report released in April 2016 found concerning levels of non-compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 and Fair Work Regulations 2009, including instances of deliberate manipulation of records to disguise underpayment of wages. The Inquiry found 7-Eleven’s approach to workplace matters, while ostensibly promoting compliance, did not adequately detect or address deliberate non-compliance and as a consequence compounded it.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman (2016)

In July 2021 this company agreed to pay $98 million to settle a franchisee class action following mediation. Current and former franchisees alleged misleading and deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct and contract breaches.
Source: news article (2021)

In 2022 this company was ordered to pay $595,000 to a franchisee after the Victoria Supreme Court found the franchisor had made misleading statements about the term of a franchise agreement. The retailer was found to have breached the Australian Consumer Law in its pre-purchase dealings with Yong Li and Zhe Wang who bought the 7-Eleven Heathmont store in 2015. The couple believed the franchise agreement was for 10 years because of information in a number of documents provided by 7-Eleven; in fact the agreement was for a six-year lease with the option for the franchisor to extend the agreement to 10 years.
Source: Inside Retail (2022)