According to Reuters, American fund company Artisan Partners Asset Management is putting pressure on the board of directors of Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of Japanese convenience store chain 7-11, urging them to provide the latest information on the acquisition offer by Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT), a large Canadian convenience store company, before September 19th. Artisan portfolio managers advised Seven & i to seriously consider ACT's quote and quickly solicit quotes for its Japanese subsidiary, stating that negotiating with ACT is the best strategy to maintain positive results for stakeholders in Japan. The letter from Artisan strongly criticized Seven & i's track record of increasing corporate value, highlighting the pressure from shareholders for potential transactions. Artisan has been critical of the company's management and structure since becoming a shareholder of Seven & i in 2019. It stated that it is an active (not aggressive) shareholder who maintains contact with the company's management and board of directors. Last week, ACT stated that it has been in contact with Seven & i regarding the possible acquisition, but has not disclosed the potential transaction value. This deal could be the largest overseas acquisition of a Japanese company in history.