Japan’s Seven & i seen booking 24% fall in Q4 profit, adding to takeover pressure

[TOKYO] Japanese retailer Seven & i Holdings is set to record a 24 per cent drop in quarterly profit on Wednesday (Apr 9) as underperformance of its convenience store business hampers its ability to fend off a takeover attempt by Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Seven & i is likely to book operating profit of 94.45 billion yen (S$862.3 million) for December-February, showed the average of eight analyst estimates compiled by LSEG. That would compare with 124.23 billion yen in the same period a year prior.

The 7-Eleven operator’s profit has fallen in recent quarters as domestic convenience store operations underperformed competitors and its North American arm suffered from lower consumer spending against a backdrop of accelerating inflation.

At the same time, Seven & i has sought to bat away a US$47 billion bid from Circle-K operator Couche-Tard, arguing initiatives to overhaul its business will increase corporate value and that antitrust barriers in the US may nix any deal.

A management buyout led by Seven & i’s founding family collapsed in February after failing to secure funding. The company has since turned to strategies including selling off non-core businesses and appointing Stephen Dacus as CEO.

In March it announced a US$2 billion share buyback and proposed listing its North American convenience store subsidiary by the second half of 2026.

Still, Seven & i’s share price, which has traded between around 1,850 yen and 2,250 yen since the start of March, is far below Couche-Tard’s offer of around 2,700 yen, indicating that investors are sceptical of Seven & i’s plans, analysts said.

Last month Seven & i and Couche-Tard said they were working together to find buyers for around 2,000 of their convenience stores in the US, in their most concrete sign of engagement.

Seven & i has said a divestiture plan is necessary to pass a US Federal Trade Commission review. Sources have told Reuters that interested buyers are primarily private equity firms.

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Investors and analysts now await the outcome of store-sale discussions and an update on the listing of Seven & i’s North American subsidiary. REUTERS