(Bloomberg) -- Negotiations within the consortium proposing a ¥9 trillion ($60 billion) management buyout of Seven & i Holdings Co. have stalled over disagreements on who will control the 7-Eleven operator after it’s taken private, people familiar with the matter said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

NYC’s Congestion Pricing Pulls In $48.6 Million in First Month NYC to Shut Migrant Center in Former Hotel as Crisis Eases The Trump Administration Takes Aim at Transportation Research New York’s Congestion Pricing Plan Faces Another Legal Showdown Shelters Await Billions in Federal Money for Homelessness Providers

The founding Ito family and Itochu Corp. have yet to reach consensus on the composition of the board of the post-buyout entity, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The Nikkei newspaper reported that Itochu was set to pull out of the deal.

Talks are ongoing and may still yield a breakthrough. But if the buyout proposal fails to materialize, Seven & i Chief Executive Officer Ryuichi Isaka may have little choice but to enter negotiations with Circle-K operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which has proposed to take over the Japanese retailer at a valuation closer to $47 billion.

A representative for Itochu didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Attempts to reach the Ito family didn’t elicit a response.

The Ito family and Itochu-led buyout proposal emerged in November to fend off Couche-Tard and keep Seven & i in Japanese hands. The heirs of the founder were set to contribute around ¥500 billion while trading house Itochu would put up more than ¥1 trillion, with the rest of funding coming from other strategic investors and financing from Japan’s top banks, people familiar with the plans had said.

Last month, Seven & i Chief Financial Officer Yoshimichi Maruyama said that a special board committee was still considering the takeover proposals by Couche-Tard and the founding Ito family, but didn’t have enough information to evaluate them. Seven & i’s management will decide what the best course of action will be, with an eye toward the shareholders’ meeting in May, the CFO said on Jan. 9.

In addition to the Ito family and Itochu, Apollo Global Management Inc. was discussing a commitment of as much as ¥1.5 trillion, while KKR & Co. was also considering a stake in the management buyout, people with knowledge of the matter had said. Thailand conglomerate CP All Plc, which runs the Thai franchise for 7-Eleven was also weighing plans to take an equity of ¥500 billion.

Story Continues

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. had been lined up to participate in the financing for a management buyout. Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. were also said to weigh joining the proposal by refinance debt held by Seven & i’s US unit.

--With assistance from Kanoko Matsuyama.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

Trump’s SALT Tax Promise Hinges on an Obscure Loophole Walmart Wants to Be Something for Everyone in a Divided America Meet Seven of America’s Top Personal Finance Influencers Why Private Equity Is Eyeing Your Nest Egg China Learned to Embrace What the US Forgot: The Virtues of Creative Destruction

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

View Comments