The new classification comes after a request to the Japanese government. Japanese retailer Seven & i Holdings has been classified as core to the country’s national security, according to an updated finance ministry list released today, Reuters reported. The retailer requested the designation last month, saying that “its convenience stores play a critical role in supplying food and supplies in the event of natural disasters. They also provide municipal services, allowing residents to obtain official documents,” reported Bloomberg. The request coincided with Alimentation Couche-Tard’s $38.5 billion buyout offer, which Seven & i has since rejected, saying it was open to further dialogue regarding the offer price. “The classification has raised questions as to whether it is a defensive maneuver,” to hinder the takeover, as core companies require the Japanese Ministry of Finance to vet any share purchases from foreign entities over 10% as a matter of national security, Reuters reported. However, Reuters said that Seven…

Fortune partnered with the global people analytics firm Great Place to Work to compile lists of the best small and medium workplaces in retail, as well as the best large workplaces in retail. Honored on the two lists were three c-store operators: Sheetz Inc., The Spinx Company, and Dash In, a Wills Group company. In the large business category, Sheetz ranked No. 2 while Spinx ranked No. 9. The Wills Group, parent company to Dash In convenience stores, ranked No. 9 in the small/medium business category. Fortune selects its Best Workplaces in Retail rankings by using Great Place to Work to survey employees about their workplace experience. Using its proprietary Trust Index survey, Great Place to Work measures the core of what it knows creates great workplaces—key behaviors that drive trust in management, connection with colleagues, and loyalty to the company. This year, Sheetz followed Wegmans Food Markets on the list but…

On August 29th, we opened a new eco-friendly 7-Eleven store in Fukuoka, Japan! This outstanding wooden building was constructed using mostly locally sourced timber, which helps to regenerate forests and increases carbon absorption. Compared to conventional standard construction methods and materials, the store is expected to reduce carbon emissions by about 15% during both construction and its eventual demolition. We also designed it with new features to generate, store and conserve energy. The store utilizes solar panels, energy-efficient equipment, and a new storage battery system. Combined, this will reduce external power purchases and carbon emissions by approximately 50%. As this store demonstrates, Seven-Eleven Japan is committed to taking on the challenge of creating next-generation stores that are friendly to the environment while supporting the local community. View article source here.

Adyen NV early Monday began launching what its calls an intelligent-routing service for debit cards intended to reduce merchants’ debit-acceptance costs and increase authorizations for purchases. The service, which enables Adyen to choose which network to route transactions over, was developed primarily in response to the Federal Reserve’s 2023 statement reinforcing the mandate that all debit cards issued in the United States carry the brands of least two unaffiliated networks. The Federal Reserve’s decision came as a part of an amendment to Regulation II, also known as the Durbin Amendment, which caps interchange fees charged by debit card issuers. Late last year, the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors announced it would revisit the debit fee cap During Adyen’s recently concluded pilot with 20 large merchants, including eBay Inc. and fitness chain 24 Hour Fitness USA LLC, participating merchants saw acceptance costs decline by 26% and authorization rates increase 0.22%, on average. To determine which…

Small businesses are the beating heart of the country, their contribution is significant, and they must be encouraged to flourish. Small businesses are not a monolith. Every small business owner faces a unique situation – a distinct set of challenges and opportunities, headwinds and tailwinds. The latest report from COSBOA and Square serves to highlight this reality. Looking across the data, we see businesses growing at different rates, all dependent on where they operate from, which sector they operate in, and how big their business is. The lesson for policymakers is clear: nuance is the name of the game. Policy supports must be tailored, targeted and timely if they are to foster productivity and sustainable growth among Australian small businesses. Indeed, policy prescriptions should reflect data-driven learnings gathered at the whole-of-economy level right the way through to what is observable in the many and varied cities, regions, communities and sectors…