Ann Arbor’s first 7-Eleven convenience store is moving into 318 S. State St. following the bankruptcy of Ritz Camera, and the owner has plans to open by the end of the year.

The 5,500 square-foot building is under construction, and the projected store opening is Dec. 30, said Margaret Chabris, 7-Eleven spokeswoman.

According to an AnnArbor.com article, after the building was sold for $1.3 million to local ophthalmologist Reza Rahmani in late 2009, Rahmani listed the building with Jim Chaconas of Colliers International in Ann Arbor to find a tenant for the space.

Chaconas said a lot of tenants were interested in the building, but he closed the deal for 7-Eleven in the middle of the summer because he said the area needed something besides a restaurant.

“We thought the area needed a 7-Eleven,” Chaconas said. “The students need a place where the pricing is consistent and that is open late hours.”

7-Eleven real estate manager Chris Benne said the store, which will be open 24 hours a day all week, will include an upper-level seating area for people to relax and use computers.

“We will have an extension of retail space upstairs, and there will be some tables and chairs available with the idea that we will have people using their computers or enjoying a snack,” Benne said.

Benne said he hopes the downtown location will get a “mix of clientele” and he said he is not relying solely on the student population.

Along with this downtown Ann Arbor location, Benne said the convenience store chain is expanding throughout all of Michigan.

“7-Eleven opened six stores this year in the metro-Detroit area because this is an area of the country where we’re expanding,” Benne said. “And Ann Arbor is obviously a good location for us because of the population and the university.”

7-Eleven will join other business like Five Guys Burgers and Fries and CVS that are also slated to open on South State in the coming months.

Lizzy Alfs is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.