A Couche-Tard store is seen, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 in Deux-Montagnes, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

By Eli J. Ridder

Circle K owner ‘confident’ it can close on bid for 7-Eleven owner

Sep 5, 2024 | 9:28 AM

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s incoming CEO says the company is convinced it can close on a blockbuster bid to take over 7-Eleven-owner Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd.

Alex Miller, who is set to replace outgoing CEO Brian Hannasch on Friday, said he is confident in the company’s ability to finance and complete the proposed deal.

“We see a strong opportunity to grow together, enhance our offerings to customers and deliver a compelling outcome for the shareholders, employees and key constituencies of both companies,” Miller told analysts on a conference call Thursday.

Laval, Que.-based convenience store chain Couche-Tard revealed in mid-August that it had made a friendly, non-binding bid to acquire all outstanding shares in Seven & i, which said it would convene a special committee of its board of directors to review the offer.

Citing an unnamed source, Asian business outlet Nikkei reported that Seven & i planned to notify Couche-Tard that its offered price was too low. The Japanese company would also cite remaining regulatory concerns in a letter to Couche-Tard’s board, the report said.

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Seven & i declined to comment.

In addition to global convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Seven & i owns supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.

Analysts have cast doubt on whether the two companies can reach a deal because they believe satisfying Japanese regulators will be onerous and could force Couche-Tard to let go of some of its assets.

“Although there have been reforms in the country to make takeovers easier, most Japanese firms are very cautious and resistant to change. That includes Seven & i, whose complex operating model also hampers a deal,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said in an August email.

“Unless the Alimentation Couche-Tard has a substantial premium attached, it is likely to be dismissed.”

While Miller told analysts Thursday that he would not take questions about his company’s bid for Seven & i, he said Couche-Tard has “deep respect” for its takeover target and its franchisee network, operating model and brand.

Miller’s remarks come as Couche-Tard is in expansion mode.

It closed on a deal to buy certain European retail assets from French oil giant TotalEnergies SE in January.

The same day it announced its Seven & i bid, Couche-Tard said it signed an agreement to buy GetGo Cafe stores from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle Inc.

Terms of the GetGo deal, which is expected to close next year, were not disclosed.

Like Couche-Tard, GetGo has gas stations and convenience stores, but also has a heavy focus on made-to-order food, which Miller said is “extremely popular” and offers lots of opportunities for his company.

“We clearly see some fantastic reverse synergies with the acquisition,” he said.

GetGo has about 3,500 employees and operates about 270 convenience retail and gas stations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.

Meanwhile, Couche-Tard spans 31 countries and more than 16,700 stores. If it manages to wrangle Seven & i, that deal would add 85,800 stores to its empire.

“While investor focus is squarely on a potential Seven & i transaction, in our view key to Alimentation Couche-Tard as a compelling investment lies in performance of existing footprint and Alimentation Couche-Tard’s ability to drive strong earnings/cash flow despite challenging backdrop,” said Irene Nattel, an RBC Capital Markets analyst, in a note to investors Thursday.

The company’s first-quarter net earnings attributable to shareholders were released Wednesday. It reported US$790.8 million, down from US$834.1 million in the same quarter last year.

The earnings for the period ended July 21 amounted to 83 cents US per share, down from 85 cents US per share last year, while analysts had expected earnings of 84 cents US, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

Revenue totalled US$18.3 billion, up from US$15.6 billion last year.

Miller said “the consumer is stretched,” a phenomenon retailers have been lamenting for months as interest rates slowly drop and costs for many household goods remain high.

It’s cropped up at Couche-Tard in the form of customers making fewer visits and spending less when they do shop at the chain.

“Fuel is a great example of that,” he said.

“We actually have higher traffic to our forecourts, but the average fill is down to a level that leads to negative same-store volume.” (Forecourts are the area in front of the main convenience store building.)

The company is also seeing more shoppers opt for private label products, which tend to be more affordable, and high interest in value and bundled meals it offers for between $3 and $5 in the U.S.

While the chain always offers promotions, Miller said, the company will likely lower the number of promotions and be more targeted.