Shares of Seven & i fall after report that it has rejected Couche-Tard bid

Shares of Seven & i fall after report that it has rejected Couche-Tard bid

FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian walks past a Couche-Tard convenience store in Montreal, Quebec, Canada January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File Photo

Shares of Seven & i tumbled as much as 12% on Tuesday, following a report the 7-Eleven owner plans to reject a $47 billion takeover offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, although the Japanese company said it was still considering the offer.

The shares were down 8% at 2,023 yen in afternoon trade in Tokyo having earlier declined as much as 12%, touching their lowest in a little more than six months.

The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday that Seven & i planned to reject the takeover offer from Circle-K owner Couche-Tard and instead seek to enhance corporate value on its own.

However, in a statement, a Seven & i spokesperson said it “remains committed to exploring all opportunities to unlock value for shareholders and continues to assess a full range of strategic alternatives, including the proposal” from Couche-Tard.

It said its special committee is “engaging constructively” with Couche-Tard.

Seven & i is finalising a plan for CEO Ryuichi Isaka to step down with his replacement almost certain to be director Stephen Dacus, Reuters has reported.

Dacus heads a special committee to evaluate the takeover bid from Couche-Tard and a take-private deal from Seven & i’s founding family that recently collapsed.

Reuters

Bring stories like this into your inbox every day.

Sign up for our newsletter - The Daily Brief
Subscribe to Newsletter

This is your last free story for the month. Register to continue reading our content