TOKYO - Seven & i Holdings is considering investing several hundred billion yen in Zabka Group, Poland's largest convenience store operator, as the Japanese retailer seeks to expand its presence in Europe.
Seven & i President Stephen Dacus has expressed interest in growing the company's European operations, and the proposed investment is seen as a step toward entering the Eastern European market.
Seven & i Holdings traces its origins to a small clothing store opened in Tokyo in 1920 by Toshio Yoshikawa, the uncle of future retail entrepreneur Masatoshi Ito. The business later developed into Ito-Yokado, which became one of Japan's leading supermarket and general merchandise chains during the country's postwar economic expansion.
A major turning point came in 1973, when Ito-Yokado established York Seven, later renamed Seven-Eleven Japan, to introduce the American 7-Eleven convenience store model to Japan. The first Japanese 7-Eleven opened in Tokyo's Toyosu district in May 1974. The chain adapted the format to Japanese consumers by developing ready-to-eat meals, rice balls, boxed lunches and other products suited to frequent small purchases.
Seven-Eleven Japan expanded rapidly through franchising and became the largest convenience store operator in Japan. Its growth was supported by sophisticated inventory management, frequent deliveries and the use of sales data to tailor products to individual stores. Total sales at Seven-Eleven Japan surpassed those of every other Japanese retailer in 2001, and the chain exceeded 10,000 domestic stores in 2003.
The Japanese company also became increasingly involved in the original American 7-Eleven business. Ito-Yokado and Seven-Eleven Japan helped rescue the U.S. operator from financial difficulties in the early 1990s, eventually taking control of the company. In November 2005, 7-Eleven Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, giving the Japanese group direct control of the brand's large North American network.
Seven & i Holdings was established on September 1, 2005, through a stock transfer involving Seven-Eleven Japan, Ito-Yokado and Denny's Japan. The new holding company was created to manage the group's growing collection of convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and financial services businesses under a unified structure. The name combined "Seven," representing 7-Eleven, with "i," reflecting Ito-Yokado and the idea of innovation.
The group broadened its retail portfolio in 2006 by making Millennium Retailing, the operator of the Sogo and Seibu department stores, a wholly owned subsidiary. It also acquired control of supermarket operator York-Benimaru and expanded into specialty retailing through businesses including Loft and Akachan Honpo. In 2007, the company launched its Seven Premium private-label brand and introduced the nanaco electronic payment service.
Financial services became another important part of the group. IY Bank, established in 2001 and later renamed Seven Bank, installed automated teller machines inside convenience stores, allowing customers to access banking services around the clock. The machines later expanded to support foreign cards, international remittances and multiple languages.
International expansion increasingly centered on the 7-Eleven business. The company opened operations in China, expanded licensing arrangements across Asia and strengthened its position in North America. In 2021, its U.S. subsidiary acquired Speedway's convenience store and fuel retailing operations from Marathon Petroleum, significantly enlarging the group's American network. Seven-Eleven Japan and 7-Eleven Inc. also established 7-Eleven International that year to coordinate licensing and expansion in overseas markets.
The worldwide 7-Eleven network passed 70,000 stores in 2019 and exceeded 80,000 in 2022. In 2024, the group expanded further by acquiring the Australian 7-Eleven business.
Over time, however, Seven & i faced pressure to improve profitability and simplify a sprawling group that included convenience stores, supermarkets, department stores, restaurants and financial operations. The company sold the Sogo and Seibu department store business and began reorganizing its supermarket and specialty retail operations as it shifted investment toward the higher-growth convenience store sector.
In September 2025, Seven & i moved to a corporate structure focused exclusively on convenience stores, marking a decisive change from the diversified retail conglomerate built around Ito-Yokado. The company now describes itself as a global retailer centered on 7-Eleven, with major operations in Japan and North America and expansion ambitions in other regions.
