— — A Wilson Farms store in the City of Tonawanda is one of the first of the local chain now completing the switch to its new identity, since Texas-based 7-Eleven bought the company earlier this year.

Margaret Chabris, director of public relations for 7-Eleven, said the staggered transition is on schedule, having been announced to begin this fall since the deal closed in June.

She did not say when the last of the stores are expected to fly their new orange and green colors, but it could take some time.

The company — one of the largest convenience store chains in the country with more than 6,000 locations and many more abroad — is still readying to release specific details regarding similar changes at Wilson Farms’ 188 locations in Western New York.

But in the meantime, the store at the corner of Niagara and Hinds streets in the City of Tonawanda betrays those plans, with a brand new sign bearing the 7-Eleven logo now in place.

For days, the store has remained open, doing business even as workers have been busy reconfiguring isles and products. New fixtures and configurations in the store are now rapidly bearing an entirely new resemblance.

“Wilson Farms has a successful store operation, quality locations and a strong customer-service culture,” Stan Reynolds, 7-Eleven executive vice president and CFO, said in a statement. “The combination of the two companies will strengthen our convenience offering in the western New York area.”

In fact the addition of Wilson Farms locations greatly increases 7-Eleven’s presence in Western New York, where only about two dozen locations currently exist.

Wilson Farms stores and employees ultimately work for the WFI Group, led by a New York-based equity firm called Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., along with the Nanula Family, which together have managed the stores since 2005.

The Wilson Farms name has been around decades longer than that, and employs well over 2,000 people. Prior to its most recent ownership, it was operated under the Tops markets umbrella.

The chain has varying store hours in Western New York, with many locations closing around midnight, while 7-Eleven is regarded as a 24-hour operation.

Neither company has commented recently on store hours planned. A clerk at one store said off the record that a 24-hour scheme is expected but indicated staffing would have to be organized to do so.

A statement by the company says it will invest in remodeling the stores, adding proprietary beverages like Big Gulp, fountain and Slurpee drinks, coffee service and fresh foods.

The company said local contractors have been hired for the remodeling program. The stores are operated using a franchisee agreement for most locations.

The change, sure to be regarded as at the very least a nostalgic loss for many, means Wilson Farms as a brand will soon cease to exist. The acquisition is related to 7-Eleven’s stated expansion including acquisitions from the likes of ExxonMobil in Florida and Illinois, certain Shell sites in Dallas, Quarles Petroleum Inc., Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Zooms, Inc., New England Pantry, and Little Sue are among the company’s most recent acquisitions.

7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 8,400 stores in North America, according to the company’s Web site. Globally, there are more than 40,500 stores in 16 countries. The company generated total sales of more than $62.7 billion in 2010.