7-Eleven’s Japanese owner wants to be considered as important as chipmakers as Circle K’s operator mounts a takeover bid

(Credit: Shiho Fukada—Bloomberg/Getty Images)

The owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, Seven & i Holdings, hopes the Japanese government can give it leverage against a takeover by Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Seven & i Holdings is seeking to have its status upgraded to a “core” rating under Japan’s Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEFTA), noted Bloomberg and the Financial Times, citing unnamed sources.