7-Eleven Owner Raises Guidance as Gas Earnings Rise at North America Unit — Update

By Kosaku Narioka and Ronnie Harui

Seven & i Holdings raised its annual guidance after the war-driven surge in gasoline prices boosted earnings at its North American convenience-store business, sending quarterly net profit higher.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven said Thursday that operating profit for its overseas convenience-store business climbed as fuel margins improved sharply at its U.S. unit despite a decline in gas sales.

Citing higher-than-expected gasoline earnings from its North American business and a weaker yen, the company boosted revenue and profit projections for the fiscal year ending February 2027.

Seven & i in April delayed the planned listing of the North American business to the year starting next March at the earliest, after the Middle East conflict drove up oil prices, clouding the outlook for gasoline demand. It originally planned for an initial public offering by the end of 2026.

The company announced a series of measures in March 2025 to raise its shareholder value as it sought to head off Alimentation Couche-Tard's $47 billion takeover attempt, which the Canadian owner of Circle K abandoned in July last year. The IPO of the North American business was a key move.

The 7-Eleven owner has also taken other steps to boost earnings, such as improving its offerings of proprietary and freshly made food products. It is also closing unprofitable stores in North America.

The stock has fallen nearly 10% year to date, weighed by concerns about the strength of consumption amid the Middle East conflict and higher fuel prices.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven on Thursday said net profit climbed 24% to 60.60 billion yen, equivalent to $372.7 million, for the three months ended May. That beat the Y42.00 billion estimate in a poll of analysts by data provider Visible Alpha.

First-quarter revenue dropped 14% to Y2.38 trillion. Operating profit for its overseas convenience-store business rose more than sevenfold to Y65.59 billion, while that for its domestic convenience-store business fell 4.2% to Y52.24 billion.

For the fiscal year that began in March, Seven & i now expects revenue to be flat at Y10.43 trillion and net profit to decline 5.0% to Y278.00 billion. It previously projected revenue of Y9.45 trillion and net profit of Y270.00 billion.

Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com and Ronnie Harui at ronnie.harui@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 09, 2026 09:25 ET (13:25 GMT)