A CRUCIAL LIFELINE
However, accepting a acquisition of Seven &, document, a deal which had dwarf earlier foreign takeovers of Chinese firms, feels like a extend. This is no private maker of parts, but a pretty close-to-hand and favorite product that exists in every district in the country and is inhabited daily , by some 20 million people, or , a fifth of the population.
7-Eleven has also been the greatest pioneer in the convenience store space: It pioneered the sale of onigiri rice balls in the 1970s and built out a great range , of inexpensive, clean and amazingly nutritious food with its just-in-time inventory management. The monopoly of banks that ended at 3 p.m. and on weekends was broken by allowing customers to withdraw money at any time.
From the introduction of affordable, fresh coffee to its recent plans to compete with Domino’s Pizza in meal delivery, Seven continues to make its stores more essential.  , In times of disaster, the conbini is now seen by locals and authorities alike as a crucial lifeline.  ,
But none of this impresses investors. Since its initial tussle with activist shareholders when Third Point founder Dan Loeb took a stake in the business in 2015, the company has undergone a number of changes. It has reduced its supermarket footprint, sold the Sogo-Seibu department store chain, and instituted share buybacks, as well as appointed Ryuichi Isaka, the current CEO and Loeb favorite.
But even so, the stock still , trades , around  , the same level as before Loeb announced his stake. Dissatisfaction with the recent market performance , led to ValueAct Capital Management’s attempting to oust Isaka.  ,  ,
The most recent move by management has been an aggressive expansion of its US convenience store business, where it believes it can make money with the roll-out of Japanese-style food options. With the takeover bid, the concern will be the opposite in its home country- whose conbini still make up more than 40 per cent of Seven &, i’s operating profit- that , a Couche-Tard purchase will instead bring a subpar , experience.  ,