Japanese retail giant Seven & I Holdings has decided to withdraw from its plans to make a capital investment in the Żabka Group. The company did not reach an agreement with the selling party regarding the terms of the transaction, although it still expresses interest in expanding into the European market.
The decision was announced by the company itself on Saturday. In a press release, the Japanese convenience store operator outlined the reasons for backing out of the deal.
7-Eleven Owner Aims for European Market Entry
According to reports from the Japanese news agency Kyodo, the company had anticipated that acquiring shares in the Polish chain would enable it to enter new markets. Currently, the company’s international operations are mainly focused in North America and Asia. The planned investment was expected to be worth several hundred billion yen.
Despite the unsuccessful negotiations, the company is not giving up on finding business opportunities in Europe. “Europe remains an attractive growth opportunity for our company. Seven & I Holdings will continue to evaluate options in the region that align with its strategy,” the press release stated.
Asian Giant Considered Acquiring Shares in Żabka
Reports of advanced discussions first surfaced on July 16, when the Japanese business journal “Nikkei” indicated that the company was in the final stages of negotiations to acquire a stake in the Polish entity. Unofficial information suggested that talks were focused on acquiring several percentage points of shares from funds and other owners, with the total value of the transaction potentially reaching several hundred billion yen.
The main shareholder of Żabka remains private equity fund CVC, which controls 37.6% of the company’s shares. An additional 10% of the stock is held by PG Investment Company.
In November of last year, Heket Topco, linked to CVC, along with PG Investment Company, sold a total of 100 million shares of the Polish chain. The sellers conducted the transaction as part of an accelerated book-building process, with the price of one share set at 21.50 PLN. They declared that they would not sell their shares in the company for 180 days following the agreement.
The chain made its debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in October 2024. According to data as of the end of March 2026, the Żabka Group operated a total of 12,750 outlets in Poland and Romania.
