Seven & i will appoint its first foreign CEO as Ryuichi Isaka is stepping down. The parent company of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain is expected to announce its business restructuring plan and new CEO on March 6. As per sources, the announcements are expected as the company is facing a $47 billion foreign takeover bid. Seven & I is planning to name Stephen Dacus as the new CEO of the company, marking a significant leadership change for the organization.
As per Bloomberg reports, Seven & i Holding is also planning to announce a share buyback for %13.4 billion. The company’s stock price surged amid the report of share buyback. Seven & i, home to over 80,000 7-Eleven stores across 20 countries, will soon hold a board meeting to announce the leadership change and plans to sell non-essential assets to Bain Capital, sources revealed.
Seven & i Holdings Faces Bid Challenges
The parent company of 7-Eleven has faced criticism from investors over its capital allocation for years. In August, it received a buyout offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard, the operator of Circle-K, which was later raised to $47 billion, a 35% premium over its current market value. In response, the Ito family, the company’s founders, made their buyout offer, while Seven & i’s management suggested they could recover independently.
Shares of Seven & i dropped on Tuesday after news broke that the company planned to reject the Couche-Tard bid, though it still said the offer was under consideration. According to Bloomberg, Seven & i is likely to sell most of its non-core businesses to Bain Capital for over 700 billion yen ($4.7 billion).
Recently, U.S.-based Artisan Partners urged the company to explore a competitive bidding process for takeover offers. If Couche-Tard gains control, it would mark the largest foreign takeover of a Japanese company. Seven & i was classified as a “core” company to Japan’s national security in September, though the finance ministry stated it would not block a potential takeover.
Seven & i New CEO – Is it Stephen Dacus?
Stephen Dacus is set to be the new CEO of Seven & i. Dacus brings decades of leadership experience, having worked with major global companies across various industries. Born on November 7, 1960, he started his career at Northrop Corporation (now Northrop Grumman) and Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) before joining Mars Inc. in 1994. He became CEO of its confectionery brand, MasterFoods, in 2001.
Dacus joined Seven & i in May 2022 as an outside director and quickly became a key member of the nomination committee. He was later named lead independent outside director, a position that put him at the heart of the company’s strategic decisions.
Seven & i Stock Update
Seven & i Holdings has experienced notable stock price fluctuations amid significant corporate developments. On February 26, 2025, the stock closed at $14.85, reflecting a 7.36% decrease from the previous day. This decline occurred following reports of a failed attempt by the founding family to take the company private and amid a $47 billion takeover bid from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard.
The restructuring plan of divesting non-core assets to Bain Capital and pursuing a share buyback of approximately 2 trillion yen ($13.4 billion). These developments have positively influenced investor sentiment, leading to a rebound in the stock price. As of March 6, 2025, the stock is trading at $16.59, indicating a recovery from the previous week’s lows.
