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U.S.-based asset manager Artisan Partners asked Seven & I, operator of 7-Eleven stores, to brief shareholders on the status of takeover negotiations with Alimentation Couche-Tard by Sept. 19.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 1, 2024

Seven & I shareholder pushes for negotiations with Couche-Tard

U.S.-based asset manager Artisan Partners asked Seven & I to brief shareholders on the status of takeover negotiations by Sept. 19.
Seven & I is currently categorized on the Finance Ministry's classification list as a company that conducts "designated," but not "core" businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024

Japanese companies cannot use national security cover to block takeovers, official says

Japanese companies cannot use a national security designation as a tool to thwart foreign takeovers, a senior Finance Ministry official said.
Johnny's & Associates President Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), unveils Smile-Up as the new name for the talent agency during a news conference in Tokyo in October 2023. The agency decided on the name change after it acknowledged the abuse committed by its late founder and apologized to victims in September 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 4, 2024

Johnny’s victims group to disband one year after agency admitted abuse

The group says it will continue to help victims with unresolved cases — through consultation and other forms of support — despite the disbandment.
Alimentation Couche-Tard’s bid to acquire Japan’s Seven & I Holdings has sparked discussions about Japan’s approach to foreign investment and whether rejecting or accepting the bid reflects an openness to international business.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2024

7-Eleven deserves more than shareholder supremacy

While Japan should consider investor interests, it should not forsake the broader social and community benefits that its businesses provide.
Alimentation Couche-Tard’s takeover bid for Seven & I already faces a potential funding problem, but the yen's recent rise puts another hurdle.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2024

Strong yen adds to challenge for Couche-Tard’s Seven & I bid

The buyout already faces questions in terms of potential funding and the target’s efforts to seek government protection.
Seven & I Holdings, operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, said on Friday it has rejected Alimentation Couche-Tard's takeover bid as not being in the interest of shareholders.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024

Seven & I pans value of offer as it rejects Canadian takeover bid

Seven & I said that Alimentation Couche-Tard had “grossly” undervalued the target company and that the takeover attempt was timed “opportunistically.”
Alimentation Couche-Tard said it is willing to engage in confidential discussions with 7-Eleven operator Seven & I Holdings and is keen on still pursuing an acquisition.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2024

Couche-Tard pushes for Seven & I deal talks after rejection

A potential deal would create a global convenience store behemoth with more than 100,000 stores.
Suntory Holdings CEO Takeshi Niinami speaks during a Reuters Newsmaker event in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

Seven & I takeover bid shows a shift in government, Suntory CEO says

The takeover bid has also left many CEOs in Japan nervous that their companies could be next.
Alimentation Couche-Tard is discussing raising its takeover bid for Seven & I Holdings, informed sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

Couche-Tard weighing higher price for 7-Eleven owner, sources say

Its bid would need to be significantly higher than the initial proposal of $14.86 per share in order to get Seven & I to enter negotiations, they said.
A supermarket in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, operated by Aeon. Shares of Aeon have extended their gains to 25% this year and reached a record high this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I proposal fuels rally in Japanese retailers like Aeon

An increase in Japan’s consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s second-biggest gross economy, is also supporting retailers.
Seibu Ikebukuro department store in Tokyo's Toshima Ward in September last year
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seibu Ikebukuro department store to boost upscale brand lineup

The renovated store will feature about 60 cosmetics brands, while enhancing its basement food floor.
Seven & I Holdings, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, was designated as a "core" company. The government requires any foreign entity to give prior notification of share purchases in a core company of more than 10%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I gets new designation, a potential hurdle for takeover

The new "core" category requires any foreign entity to give prior notification of share purchases in a core company of more than 10%.
7-Eleven's parent company this month rejected a $38.5 billion offer from Circle-K owner Couche-Tard, citing concerns about price.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2024

7-Eleven parent's new security rating won't affect a buyout, minister says

The finance minister's comments appeared aimed at easing investor concerns about the move.
Circle K owner Alimentation Couche-Tard’s initial $14.86-a-share proposal, seen as cheap at only 20% above Seven & I’s share price, may fail without a higher bid.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2024

How 7-Eleven can get a big price from Circle K

Alimentation Couche-Tard’s initial $14.86-a-share proposal, seen as cheap at only 20% above Seven & I’s share price, is unlikely to succeed without a higher bid.
Japan's declining population has made it more difficult for convenience store operators to grow.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2024

Some 7-Eleven owners in Japan welcome foreign bid, hoping for change

Some franchisees are concerned about competition from rivals and say they are struggling with rising costs.
For years, Seven & I has faced calls from investors to focus more on its convenience-store business.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2024

7-Eleven owner seeking to sell off part of stake in banking unit

The sale of part of its stake in Seven Bank would intend to show Seven & I Holdings is willing to focus more on its core 7-Eleven business.
An Ito-Yokado supermarket in Tokyo. Selling down some of its stake in the supermarket business would allow Seven & I to bring in a partner that could accelerate an overhaul of the unit.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

Seven & I considering supermarket stake sale ahead of IPO, sources say

The supermarket business includes the Ito-Yokado chain, one of Japan's best-known grocery store businesses.
Couche-Tard isn’t giving up on its takeover effort of Seven & I Holdings, the owner of 7-Eleven stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2024

Couche-Tard reportedly sent higher price of $47 billion for Seven & I

The fresh attempt to enter talks shows that Couche-Tard isn’t giving up on its takeover effort.
The city of Kyoto boasts historic artifacts and cityscapes that millions are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to see, but such treasures are not cheap to maintain, prompting the city to ask foreign tourists for a helping hand.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 13, 2024

Kyoto partners with e-gift service company to let tourists Donate & Go

The new donation service allows foreign tourists to contribute toward the preservation of cities they visit while receiving a gift in return.
Seven & I had been under pressure from activists and other investors for years to narrow its focus on its crown jewel: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

Seven & I to embrace 7-Eleven name as it sheds noncore businesses

The plans accelerate restructuring efforts in the face of an unsolicited ¥7 trillion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Seven & I Holdings essentially unveiled a plan to split in two.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Seven & I to split in two to fend off Couche-Tard takeover bid

The big question is if the move will be enough to win over any investors warming to Couche-Tard’s approach.
The success of Seven & I's major restructuring plan depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan, and improve profit margins overseas, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2024

7-Eleven's turnaround plan requires heavy lifting to stop takeover bid

Much depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan and improve profit margins overseas.
NHK President Nobuo Inaba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in September.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 17, 2024

NHK to resume contracting former Johnny's performers

The broadcaster's president said the decision was based on the agency’s clear efforts to compensate Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse victims.
Alimentation Couche-Tard and Seven & I Holdings directly compete in thousands of locations across the United States, with more than 45% of Circle Ks within two miles of a 7-Eleven or related store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2024

Couche-Tard’s 7-Eleven overlaps to face skeptical U.S. FTC review

More than 45% of Circle Ks are within two miles of a 7-Eleven or related store.
A customer shops for tomatoes at the vegetable section of a supermarket in Beijing on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 18, 2024

China's third-quarter GDP hits weakest pace since early 2023

Authorities have sharply ramped up policy stimulus, but markets are waiting for a clearer road map to put the economy back on a solid longer-term footing.
Abercrombie & Fitch chairman and CEO Mike Jeffries addresses stockholders during the company's annual meeting at the company's headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, on May 22, 2003.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 23, 2024

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries charged with sex trafficking

If convicted, Jeffries faces a possible life sentence and mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges.
Ryuichi Isaka, CEO of Seven & I Holdings, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in April. Isaka is now assuring investors that the group's revenue will likely almost double by the 2030 fiscal year.
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2024

Facing buyout bid, Seven & I tells investors sales will double by 2030

The retailer aims to reach ¥30 trillion in group sales by the 2030 fiscal year, with a greater contribution from convenience-store operations in markets abroad.
As the European Commission prepares to make decisions on Google’s practices by the end of 2024, there is hope for a collaborative approach with U.S. regulators to create meaningful structural reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2024

Google’s breakup needs an international tag team

There’s a growing consensus among regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to redefine antitrust harm beyond just pricing issues.
As part of the fukubukuro lineup for the New Year shopping season, Takashimaya will offer a ¥4.05 million luxury cruise ship tour to South Korea's Jeju Island and other locations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2024

2025 New Year lucky bags to offer extraordinary experiences

Customers are seeking "a break from their daily lives," according to one department store official.
Seven & I Holdings' 46% stake in Seven Bank could raise around ¥30 billion by the end of the current fiscal year in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2024

Seven & I is said to plan reducing stake in banking unit to 38%

The retailer’s 46% stake in Seven Bank could raise around ¥30 billion by the end of the current fiscal year in February.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.