The counterintuitive takeover bid for the Japanese operator of 7-Eleven might just make sense and work if the Canadian acquirer lets the legendary convenience store chain get on with it and continue to develop and expand globally, analysts said.
“7-Eleven is a mature business. It's very profitable. It generates free cash flow, and they're increasing shareholder returns,” said Satoru Aoyama, an analyst and senior director of Asia-Pacific corporates at Fitch Ratings.
“Foreign businesses, international management, they can be just capitalists. They can just be shareholders. They can give KPIs to the local management, and let them run the businesses,” he said, using the abbreviation for key performance indicators.