Seven & i Holdings Abandons Talks for Investment in Polish Convenience Store Chain Zabka
Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings has decided to drop discussions regarding a potential investment in Poland's largest convenience store operator, Zabka Group. The proposed deal could have seen the company acquire a stake of several tens of percent worth hundreds of billions of yen but failed due to an inability to reach terms acceptable for shareholders and stakeholders. Zabka operates 10,000 franchised stores in Poland with significant revenue—posting $7.16 billion in annual sales as of December 2025. The investment would have marked Seven & i's entry into Eastern Europe, part of its broader strategy to expand globally and reach a total store count of 100,000 by 2030. Although the Zabka deal is off, Seven & i remains interested in European growth opportunities. In related news, Seven & i has appointed Mauricio Leyva as CEO of its North American convenience store division, SEI, effective August 1, 2026.