7-Eleven Owner to Appoint First Foreign CEO, Nikkei Reports

Seven & i Holdings Co. will appoint board member Stephen Dacus as the chief executive officer to replace Ryuichi Isaka, the Nikkei newspaper reported citing unidentified sources, in changes seen as a renewed effort to prevent the Japanese retailer’s takeover.

Dacus, who worked for decades in the Japanese retail industry, is currently leading a special committee evaluating a proposed takeover by Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. He will be the first non-Japanese CEO of the company that operates the 7-Eleven convenience stores.