Japan's Trial Holdings to buy supermarket chain Seiyu from KKR for $2.55 bln (updated)
05/03/2025 05:35
Recasts with company announcements. TOKYO, March 5 (Reuters) - Japan's Trial Holdings 141A.T said on Wednesday it would spend 382.6 billion yen ($2.55 billion) to acquire the Seiyu supermarket chain controlled by U.S. private equity fund KKR KKR.N. Trial said in a release it would use existing cash and newly arranged bank borrowings to purchase Seiyu and make it a wholly owned subsidiary. KKR bought a 65% stake in Seiyu from Walmart in 2021, before acquiring an additional 20% stake from Rakuten in 2023, the fund said in a separate release. Walmart will also sell its 15% stake to Trial, KKR said. Major retailers including Aeon 8267.T and Don Quijote-owner Pan Pacific International Holdings 7532.T were other bidders for Seiyu, the Nikkei newspaper reported last month. ($1 = 149.8100 yen) (Reporting by Rocky Swift and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) ((kaori.kaneko@thomsonreuters.com;))