The logo of Seven & i Holdings at the company's head office, in Tokyo, on March 6.KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images
Two independent directors of Japan’s Seven & i Holdings have resigned, the convenience store operator said on Wednesday, as it rejigs its management in the face of a $47-billion takeover bid from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard ATD-T.
Jenifer Rogers and Elizabeth Meyerdirk resigned effective on Tuesday “at the request of the persons concerned”, the company said in a statement.
The shakeup comes amid accusations of foot-dragging from Couche-Tard, which launched its bid for the 7-Eleven convenience store operator last August.
It would be the largest foreign takeover in Japanese history were it to go ahead.
Last week, the retail giant announced wide-ranging leadership and business restructuring plans, bringing in as CEO Stephen Dacus, who had been head of the special committee examining the buyout bid.
On Monday, another director, Joseph Depinto, resigned from the board of the holding company, but he will remain chief executive officer of North American operations, Seven & i said.