The owners of Uniqlo and 7-Eleven are looking for growth abroad amid weak consumption in Japan

RESULTS from Japan’s Fast Retailing and Seven & i Holdings should show how retailers are chasing growth abroad to catch up with growth in the local consumer sector.

Operating revenues of the 7-Eleven Seven & i operator may disappoint due to weak consumer sentiment. The report will be overshadowed by Alimentation’s $38.7 billion takeover plan for Couche-Tard, which could trigger a restructuring of Seven & i’s businesses that could include the creation of a publicly traded subsidiary or the sale of assets. The company is considering selling part of its stake in Seven Bank, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing is likely to see steady growth in operating profit, driven mainly by its international business. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Catherine Lim and Trini Tan say its flagship hot-weather clothing is likely to be in high demand during the summer season.

In South Korea, Samsung Electronics should shed light on the health of the technology sector and how it is performing in the artificial intelligence (AI) space. Micron Technology’s strong results last month boded well for Samsung’s third-quarter results. Higher average selling prices for memory chips used in AI applications and new foldable phone models boosted operating profit and margin. Beware of any comments about potential layoffs.

The challenge for LG Energy Solution is weak demand for batteries and their prices due to the slowdown in sales of electric vehicles in Europe and the USA. BLOOMBERG