FEBRUARYASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8NEWSROOMOPEC+ ALLIANCE LOOKING AT TRUMP'S PROPOSAL TO BOOST AMERICAN OIL PRODUCTIONThe founding family of Seven & I is asking Thailand's Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group to invest in a management buyout of the Japanese retailing giant, NHK reported on Thursday. The founding family is in talks to take Seven & i private through a management buyout to fend off a $47 billion takeover from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.CP is the latest candidate approached by the family to support its takeover effort, which values the sprawling convenience store conglomerate at an estimated $58 billion and would be the largest management buyout in Japanese history should it go ahead.The proposed CP investment would be in the order of hundreds of billions of yen and negotiations to determine the figure are ongoing, Japan's national broadcaster said.The Thai retail and food group, which operates 12,000 7-Eleven stores in Thailand, follows Japanese trading house Itochu and U.S. asset manager Apollo Global Management as potential partners the family has reportedly sounded out as sources of funding.Seven & I declined to comment on the report. A representative for CP Group said they do not comment on speculation. The OPEC+ alliance of major oil-producing nations is set to discuss former U.S. President Donald Trump's recent efforts to boost American oil production and formulate a collective response, Kazakhstan announced on Wednesday.Last week, Trump unveiled an extensive plan aimed at maximizing oil and gas output in the U.S. His proposal includes declaring a national energy emergency to expedite permitting processes and rolling back environmental regulations. In addition to these domestic measures, Trump has publicly urged OPEC, particularly its leading member Saudi Arabia, to lower oil prices, arguing that doing so could help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. So far, OPEC+--which includes the Saudi-led OPEC along with Russia, Kazakhstan, and other allied nations--has not formally responded to Trump's appeal. The group, however, already has an existing strategy in place to gradually raise oil production starting in April, reversing previous cuts made in response to weak demand. This plan had faced multiple delays due to market uncertainties.OPEC+ is scheduled to convene its Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee on February 3. According to Kazakh Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev, the meeting will address the organization's policy in light of the current situation, including the U.S.'s push for higher production, and will aim to establish a unified stance among member countries. At present, OPEC+ producers are collectively withholding approximately 5.86 million barrels per day--about 5.7 percent of global demand--through a series of supply cuts implemented since 2022 to stabilize prices and support the oil market. SEVEN & I FOUNDERS SEEKING CAPITAL FROM THAILAND TO COUNTER BUYOUT
< Page 7 | Page 9 >