7-Eleven’s Deal Could Ruin Konbini Culture

Convenience stores aren’t just big business in Japan: They’re a pillar of the country’s culture—famous for delicious, well-prepared food and a surprisingly wide range of essential services—known as “konbini.” Now, a takeover bid could change everything.

7-Eleven stores are a “cornerstone of Japanese society,” he said. New York Times. Yes, the chain started in Texas, but it quickly became a huge success after its first Japanese store opened in 1974 — and has been wholly Japanese-owned since 2005. Now, Canadian company Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT) — which operates Circle K — has made an “unsolicited offer” to buy the company, setting off alarm bells among the Japanese public: A sale would be “the equivalent of Toyota becoming a foreign company,” one analyst said.