KKR is considering taking a stake in a proposal by Seven & I Holdings’s founding family to take the Japanese convenience store operator private, people familiar with the matter said, joining fellow private equity giant Apollo Global Management in the record buyout bid.
The U.S. firm is discussing investing several hundred billion yen for an equity stake in the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public.
KKR’s possible involvement comes on the heels of Apollo weighing a commitment of as much as ¥1.5 trillion to the buyout, and reflects the growing legitimacy of a proposal that began as an effort to fend off Alimentation Couche-Tard’s interest in the Japanese retailer.
