Alimentation Couche-Tard founder and executive chairman Alain Bouchard / We are either disappointed that this engagement has been limited to regularity only and we have not been able to make progress on broader deal discussions. We have tried to have meetings, it’s hard, actually it’s not possible.

The remarks came during a news conference by Alimentation Couche-Tard executives in Tokyo.

The Canadian convenience store chain operators said that they had lost more than seven months in their takeover talks with Seven & i.

They also stressed that they have made 75 acquisitions in the past 20 years, and that hostile takeovers were not their style.

They urged the Japanese 7-Eleven convenience store chain operator to “seriously consider” the takeover offer.

They also said that they planned to keep the Japanese management team and had no plans to close stores or lay off employees, adding that 7-Eleven’s role in the Japanese society will not change even after the acquisition.