Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

The P&C community celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) at an IWD event hosted by Business Chicks Australia in Melbourne. The event, which was well-represented by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) with around 30 members attending, brought together industry professionals to hear from inspiring speakers who shared their experiences and insights on supporting women in business. The event featured a powerful lineup of speakers, including Sarah Grynberg, Rachel Griffiths, Azure Antoinette, and Brihony Dawson. Corinne Barclay, Director at CMA, who hosted the AACS contingent alongside Camilla Warnock, said she believes IWD is a day to reflect on how far women have come in their quest for equality, and at the same time, it shows how much more there is to do. “The theme for this year, ‘Accelerate action,’ was a key message and is a perfect way to highlight that we need to keep moving along and driving change,…

Seven & i told its shareholders the search will mitigate U.S. antitrust risk. After announcing yesterday that Seven & i Holdings and Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT) were searching for potential buyers for some stores to mitigate U.S. antitrust risk if the Canadian owner of Circle K were to take over the Japanese retailer, ACT said today “it is confident there is a ‘clear path’ to overcome U.S. regulatory hurdles in its proposed $47 billion acquisition of Japan’s Seven & i and expressed frustration at the 7-Eleven owner’s ‘limited engagement,’” reported Reuters.  “We have reiterated several times over the past few months that we intend to be friendly and persistent in pursuing a transaction,” Couche-Tard said in a statement, rejecting the Japanese firm’s position that the “potentially transformational deal faces major regulatory hurdles.”  “We have done that in the face of significant frustration and distraction,” it added.  Couche-Tard said it had been working with Seven & i…

Illegal tobacco stores are popping up around the country in what is fast becoming multi-billion dollar market for organised crime which appears to be serviced by multiple banks and fintechs for payments. A PayDay News special investigation The trade has already been linked to numerous firebombing incidents and one death. An investigation by Payday News last week revealed that a large number of illegal tobacco outlets are using card payments terminals provided by banks and fintechs to sell their illegal products which, according to experts, could have serious legal implications. While PayDay News won’t be naming these institutions in this story, we did want to point out the legal and commercial obligations on acquiring banks, fintechs and aggregators supporting illegal trade and potential money laundering in many hundreds of towns around the country. Three shops visited by Payday News last week were taking electronic payments from customers buying illegal cigarettes on…

Tops Daily Laguna Village, GS25, uSmile and 7-Eleven Malaysia’s U-Ming Tan were honored in Tokyo this week. NACS announced its Convenience Retail Awards Asia-Pacific winners during the 2025 NACS Convenience Summit Asia, which took place this week from February 25-27 in Tokyo. “Industry progress is not only driven by innovative companies, but by the energies, determination and inspiration of the individuals who lead them,” said NACS President and CEO Henry Armour, adding, “These awards recognize and honor the contributions of successful and influential industry leaders who represent excellence, dedication and influence in the convenience retail community.” NACS Convenience Retailer of the Year Asia-Pacific: Tops Daily Laguna Village Tops Daily Laguna Village is a small-format brand by Central Food Retail Co. Ltd. Central Food Retail is the leading food retailer in Thailand. The company operates the supermarket brands Tops, Tops Food Hall and Tops Fine Food, as well as the convenience…

For decades, Valora’s core business had been its small, incredibly convenient kiosks outside European transit stations that sold newspapers, magazines and tobacco to on-the-go commuters. Valora Group seemingly had it all—great locations, great customer traffic and core items that were in demand and sold with great efficiency. Then, in a matter of a few years, business started to dwindle—and then everything changed in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. Yet the company came out of the experience stronger and more profitable. Valora Group Switzerland CEO Michael Mueller shared learnings from the company’s transformation in a case study presented this week during the NACS Convenience Summit Asia in Tokyo. Change came quickly, starting with the introduction of the iPad in 2010. The new device wasn’t initially seen as a threat to print periodicals, but sales of Valora’s periodicals shrank to one-fifth of what they once were. Then, a decade later,…

Japan’s Seven & I Holdings said on Thursday the retailer’s founding Ito family could not secure the financing required for a US$58 billion management buyout, and it would consider a rival offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard. “There is no actionable proposal from Mr. Junro Ito and Ito-Kogyo for 7&I to consider at this time,” the company said in a statement. “7&I remains committed to exploring all opportunities to unlock value for shareholders and continues to assess a full range of strategic alternatives, including the proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.” Itochu said in a statement it had ended its consideration of participating in the Seven & I founding family’s buyout proposal. The failure of the management buyout heightens the likelihood of Couche-Tard pulling off a mammoth acquisition of one of Japan’s best-known and most beloved retailers, which owns 7-Eleven convenience stores. Seven & I’s shares sank 12 per cent, while Itochu shares…