Regarding the sale of the department store Sogo & Seibu, which continues to be sluggish, it was found that the parent company, Seven & i Holdings, has decided to preferentially negotiate with an investment fund in the United States.

In the future, the focus of negotiations will be whether both parties can agree on store management policies.

Sogo & Seibu currently has 10 stores mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but has been in the final deficit for the third consecutive year due to the rise of online shopping and the influence of the Korona-ka.



The parent company, Seven & i, has made two bids with the aim of selling a majority stake in Sogo & Seibu as part of its concentration of management resources on its core convenience store business, and three foreign-affiliated investment funds have responded. rice field.



According to the people concerned, after considering the conditions indicated by each fund, it was found that Seven & i has decided to preferentially negotiate with the US investment fund "Fortress Investment Group". ..



Fortress is a fund under the SoftBank Group that manages real estate for investors, and it seems that it wants to improve profitability after the acquisition with a view to collaborating with partners that transcend the boundaries of department store formats. increase.



There is a view that the sale amount of the stock will exceed 200 billion yen if it is realized, but whether or not it will eventually reach a contract will be decided in future negotiations regarding the management policy and employees of the store including the flagship store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The focus will be on whether both parties can agree on the employment of members.