It turned out that the Tokyo metropolitan area-based supermarket "OK" had made an acquisition proposal to the "Kansai Supermarket" based in Hyogo and Osaka.
However, Kansai Super has just announced this week that it will become a subsidiary of the operating company of Hanshin Hanshin Department Store, and the focus will be on how to respond to this proposal.
Kansai Supermarket, which operates supermarkets in Hyogo and Osaka, announced on the 31st of last month that it will become a subsidiary of H2O Retailing, which operates Hankyu Hanshin Department Store, etc., and will integrate with other supermarkets under its umbrella.
However, according to the people concerned, it was found that OK, which has more than 120 supermarkets in the Tokyo metropolitan area, was also proposing to acquire this Kansai Supermarket.
OK is a major shareholder who holds more than 7% of the shares of Kansai Super, and in June, it proposed a takeover bid for TOB = shares with the aim of expanding into Kansai.
Okay says that this proposal has not been fully considered and will soon express its opposition to Kansai Super's decision to become a subsidiary of H2O.
However, at the end of next month, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Kansai Super will be held to discuss the proposal to make it a subsidiary, and the focus will be on how to respond to the proposal on the OK side.
In the supermarket industry, competition with the ever-expanding online shopping is intensifying, and there is an active movement toward integration and collaboration across regions and business formats.