NHK has learned that founders of retail giant Seven & i Holdings have recently made a request with a major Thai conglomerate for a large-scale investment.

Sources say the founders approached Charoen Pokphand Group.

The proposed investment is said to be in the hundreds of billions of yen. Talks are apparently in progress.

The group operates 7-Eleven stores in Thailand and has a capital alliance with Itochu. The major Japanese trading house has also been approached by the Seven & i founders for investment.

The retailer is facing a takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard. The Canadian convenience-store giant has made an acquisition offer of 7 trillion yen, or over 45 billion dollars.

The founders, including the founder of supermarket operator Ito-Yokado, have been trying to fend off the bid. They responded with a buyout proposal to take the company private.

They have been negotiating with megabanks and other financial institutions to procure funds topping 8 trillion yen, or over 51 billion dollars.

The founders are pushing on with talks with multiple investment funds aside from the Thai conglomerate.
But capital procurement discussions have been prolonged.
They hope to procure funds and put together an acquisition offer to take the firm private before the current fiscal year ends in March.