FILE PHOTO: The exterior of a 7-Eleven convenience store is seen on August 20, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. Japan’s Seven & i Holdings, which operates 85,000 stores, said it had received a bid from Circle K operator Alimentation Couche-Tard. Eric Thayer/Getty Images/Agence France-Presse
TOKYO, Japan — Shares in the Japanese owner of 7-Eleven jumped Monday after media reports said it was seeking to strengthen its hand in a takeover battle, including selling a stake in its banking unit.
Seven & i – Japan’s biggest retailer – last month rejected an initial buyout offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT), saying the $40 billion proposal undervalued its business and could face regulatory hurdles.
But ACT, which owns the rival Circle K brand, has vowed to pursue the buyout, which would be the biggest ever foreign takeover of a Japanese firm.
Shares in Seven & i ended the morning 2.55 percent higher at 2,250.5 yen in Tokyo, having surged more than three percent at one point.
The Financial Times said Monday that Seven & i “is hunting for ways to boost its share price and bolster its defences” ahead of an expected second bid from ACT.
READ: Japanese 7-Eleven owner rejects takeover offer from Canadian rival
That followed reports in Japanese media last week that the group was accelerating a plan to sell its supermarket operations, including the national “Ito-Yokado” chain.
Such a move would allow it to focus on 7-Eleven – the world’s biggest convenience store chain, which operates more than 85,000 outlets with around a quarter of those in Japan – the Nikkei business daily said Friday.
Public broadcaster NHK also reported last week that Seven & i was considering selling a stake in its banking unit in order to increase the group’s value.
While 7-Eleven began in the United States, the franchise has been wholly owned by Seven & i since 2005.
READ: Japanese 7-Eleven owner soars on takeover offer
The group will announce its quarterly earnings on Thursday, with the CEO scheduled to address the media.
A company spokesman declined to comment on the reports when contacted by Agence France-Presse.
The Japanese finance ministry last month designated Seven & i a “core” industry, a move that could make the takeover more complicated.
Meanwhile, Quebec’s public pension manager said “Couche-Tard knows that we will always accompany them in these endeavours if necessary” in an interview with Bloomberg News.
ACT operates more than 16,700 outlets in 31 countries and territories.