Owner of 7-Eleven convenience store chain gets takeover bid from Canada’s Couche-Tard

I know nothing about Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, but question whether they could improve on what 7&I currently provide. On the rare occasions I return to the US and go to a convenience store, I'm again reminded that Japanese convenience stores vastly outshine those I've been to in the US. Maybe if they brought Tim Hortons along that would be an upgrade.

The owner of 7-Eleven convenience stores and other retail chains has received a buyout offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Don't know about the customer service but maybe at least they could do a better job of paying the staff properly.

https://japantoday.com/category/business/update1-seven-eleven-failed-to-pay-wage-portions-to-store-workers-for-years

Interesting company name. I could probably get into a fight if someone called me that.

It does sound like a slur that someone would throw at someone else online.

OssanAmerica

Interesting company name. I could probably get into a fight if someone called me that.

So long as it doesnt affect the quality of stores here in Japan, I personally do not care much at all.

whether they could improve on what 7&I currently provide. 

How about selling prepaid SIM cards and low-priced mobile phone handsets, as well as Ibuprofen and Alka-Seltzer, not to mention the Coffee Bar, with a big selection of cappuccinos and caramel and vanilla blends (as the stores do in Canada).

Hopefully they'll get rid of those stupid semi self service cash registers.

NO THANKS !!!...

Governments are slack if they allow foreign companies to take over businesses in theirs, even if they are already foreign owned, it will see more profits siphoned off to go abroad.

I know nothing about Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, but question whether they could improve on what 7&I currently provide. On the rare occasions I return to the US and go to a convenience store, I'm again reminded that Japanese convenience stores vastly outshine those I've been to in the US. Maybe if they brought Tim Hortons along that would be an upgrade.

No. Definitely not. The Couche-Tard stores have nothing on Japan's 7-Eleven. There is nothing they could add. Only detract. Say goodbye to the awesome sandos, and other meals that hard working salary men and women rely on when they come home late. I cannot see how it could possibly satisfy the Japanese market.

Interesting company name. I could probably get into a fight if someone called me that.

It translates to "Sleep Late". I hope they change the name. If not, that's not going to go over well. For obvious reasons, if you didn't know what it meant...

Yeah, it's just not going to go over well.

So long as it doesnt affect the quality of stores here in Japan, I personally do not care much at all.

It will. I go to these stores often. Can't compare.

CIRCLE K is very big in the USA. having Seven-Eleven taken over would be a big deal in the USA.

To be honest, the thought of such a takeover scares me because it would likely result in all the stores being outfitted the same way, and the uniqueness of 7-Eleven in Japan would no longer be what it was, or the quality might decline, or more American products would be introduced than those currently available.

I believe that Japan doesn't need specific American foods because 7-Eleven, as it is now, is perfect. Not every store needs to become more Americanized. I feel like too many things are being pushed in that direction.

So, I would prefer a partnership rather than a complete sale, so that the company remains in the hands of those who built it and no major changes are made.

but question whether they could improve

Perhaps its about them wanting the know-how to improve their own stores, hence paying the premium for it.

US anti trust regulators must stop this merger. Allowing Circle K and 7 Eleven to merge will lead to too much market consolidation in the convenience store market. Couche-Tard is trying to claim that their stores compete with regular grocery stores and thus there is no problem with market concentration (they say this as the US is trying to stop Krogers from buying Albertsons) but that is not at all the case. Shoppers don't go to a Kroger or 7-Eleven for the same reasons. They compete in different markets. There are no other global convenience store chains I can think of besides 7-Eleven and Circle K. Regional ones like Wawa or Rotten Robbie, but not ones you see all across the US or in other nations.

Patient Zero -

Say goodbye to the awesome sandos, and other meals that hard working salary men and women rely on when they come home late. I cannot see how it could possibly satisfy the Japanese market.

Some of us are old enough to remember when 7-11 stores in Japan were not majority Japanese owned - up until 2005. Guess what? The sandwiches were perfectly fine then - and perfectly fine afterwards.

Fretting over the "sandos"? lol.

Just don't ruin 7/11!

Interesting. I wonder how much can they improve in Japan, especially.

Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Pass the Couche on the left hand side!

If things go wrong, I'll just go to Family Mart then. :)

Fighto!

Some of us are old enough to remember when 7-11 stores in Japan were not majority Japanese owned - up until 2005. Guess what? The sandwiches were perfectly fine then - and perfectly fine afterwards.

Fretting over the "sandos"? lol.

No guarantee that they'll maintain the same product and look, should they purchase the chain. Speaking as a guy who comes from the place these "Couche Tard" stores do, their product doesn't compare.

So, given the fondness people have for the famous 7-Eleven sandos, and how much salary men and women come to depend upon the food selection... Yeah. You should fret over them. Please write again.

Seven eleven also runs i-seven bank from the convenience store ATMs. Is this Canadian firm able to handle banking in Japan?

consolidation to just a few companies in an industry drives smaller companies out of business, and the customer always pays more.

PTownsendToday 06:53 am JST

I know nothing about Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, but question whether they could improve on what 7&I currently provide. On the rare occasions I return to the US and go to a convenience store, I'm again reminded that Japanese convenience stores vastly outshine those I've been to in the US. Maybe if they brought Tim Hortons along that would be an upgrade.

Maybe that's the case where you are from but I haven't seen a Japanese convenience store that can touch a New York City bodega, especially the ones in Manhattan. I tell people all the time: New York City is a whole country by itself.

The only convenience store I rarely go into as they are the most expensive on the convenience store food I would buy. They really need help with affordable pricing. And their other holdings are equally expensive.

Coochie yard. Great name

Convenience stores in Canada are awful. Even the chains are independently run and are really messy. Prices always change, too. They are just lotto-addict depots with staff that are usually rude and don't speak decent English. The best convenience stores were the old 7-11s which there are so few in Ontario anymore. I love the Japanese standard of service (sorry about the low pay though) and cleanliness. Bringing anything of influence from North America is not a plus at all. Go away Couche-turd!

Considering that these convenience stores operate around the clock couche jamais would be more appropriate!

Several people seem to enjoy convenience store sando. I've always found them totally tasteless and offering very little choice. Just try the ones from Marks & Spencer, and you'll understand what I mean.

Other prepared meal while not healthy taste nice though.

Shares of Seven & i jumped 23% in Tokyo, the largest single day jump for the stock in the company's history. Its market capitalization exceeded 5 trillion yen ($34 billion)., knowing that the share prices will jump, I wonder if the directors bought a load more shares in the morning before they released the news, 23% instant gain in share prices, that's a nice little earner, even if the deal doesn't go through the directors have made a nice little packet, ( cynical old me ) and the directors would have previous shares in the co,

This is a franchised business, so one would hope the franchisees do not get shafted by the new boss any more than they do by the current one.

7-11 does not own the stores or the land they're on, so there will be little risk of asset stripping, the common plague of M&A.

People are really stupid if they think Couche Tard will make any major changes to 7-11 especially in Japan. They're the pinnacle of convenience stores. If anything they would be smart to use the purchase to make Circle K and Couche Tard better.

It's true that writing a catchy jingle for that name will take work, but the slime-green drink called a "sloche" looks inviting. https://www.couche-tard.com/sloche?lang=en

Hopefully they'll get rid of those stupid semi self service cash registers.

I don't know...I kinda like having a place to just dump all my accumulated 1-yen coins...although I guess just tossing them in the charity box is a better alternative.

I don't use 7-11 all that often (I live in Hokkaido, so there's Seicomart...), but they're an acceptable alternative. If this goes through, I hope they don't make changes for the worse...but as others have pointed out, that's probably unlikely.

I feel like too many things are being pushed in that direction.

I don't think so, not even close to any degree that I would like to see, it will always have a bit of a Japanized theme to it, but to be quote-on-quote Americanized will never happen. The Japanese can run their stores the way they want, they are fine the way they are overall, would be nice if they would at least have a Slurpee machine in these stores, especially during the hot summer months, but I can go to Okinawa for that, the Japanse should run the stores the way they want. If I want to indulge in some serious food back home, I can always take a plane or the Beetle and do a weekend trip and get all the American food I need since the Koreans do American food way better than the Japanese generally speaking.

MilesTegToday  03:46 pm JST

People are really stupid if they think Couche Tard will make any major changes to 7-11 especially in Japan. They're the pinnacle of convenience stores. If anything they would be smart to use the purchase to make Circle K and Couche Tard better.

never underestimate the ability of companies to do some really stupid things.

Convenience stores in Canada are awful. Even the chains are independently run and are really messy. Prices always change, too. They are just lotto-addict depots

This is true. Canadian convenience stores are not very good. But I don't see them changing Japanese 7-11s to match Canadian stores - 7-11 would no longer be able to compete, it would be a disaster. I'm sure they will continue to operate Japanese 7-11s the Japanese way, and the Canadian 7-11s the Canadian way.

It's an odd time for it. I was just watching a news segment the other month talking about how they were bringing more Japan centric offerings to 7-11 US, and had put a big investment into regional commercial kitchen/packaging plants to have a better selection of fresh and hot foods.

Several people seem to enjoy convenience store sando. I've always found them totally tasteless and offering very little choice.

Wawa stores make fresh sandwiches and they are superb. Better than many sit down restaurants serve.

I remember walking into a 7-Eleven store in Hong Kong expecting to see something familiar inside and was astounded by how different it was from an American 7-Eleven. Other than branding it was different in every possible way.

So I just loaded a short video with the correct way to pronounce Couche-Tard. It sounds like "Goosh-Da".

If you had a Japanese style 7-11 in the US the customers would just be confused as to why it is so clean and why they can't get their lotto and use their EBT benefits.