7-Eleven’s soon-to-be chief is confident he knows value, and thrifty customers WSOC TV [Video]

TOKYO — (AP) — The first foreigner tapped to head 7-Eleven expressed confidence Friday the Japanese convenience store chain will continue to attract thrifty customers, even in an economic slowdown.

But Stephen Hayes Dacus, an American with a Japanese mother, declined to comment on the specifics of the various investment plans now being studied, including an acquisition proposal by Alimentation Couche-Tard of Canada.

A special company committee, which he isn’t part of, is charged with studying the options “totally objectively,” he said.

“The process is moving forward very constructively,” Dacus, who is currently a director, told a small group of reporters at the Tokyo headquarters of Seven & i Holdings Co., which operates 7-Eleven.

His appointment as chief executive still needs shareholders’ approval, set for May. Seven & i shares have risen more than 2% in the past year.

Fluent in Japanese and English, Dacus said he was determined to build a culture of leadership that he’s learned …