Oil Prices Slip Slightly as Markets Weigh Geopolitical Risks and Supply Glut Concerns 
Boeing Secures Multi-Billion Dollar Defense Contracts for F-15IA Jets and E-4B Aircraft Support 
Trump Administration Probes Corporate DEI Programs, Raising Questions for Google Stock 
Hyundai Faces Deadline on Russia Plant Buyback Amid Ukraine War and Sanctions 
BOJ Signals Further Rate Hikes as Inflation and Weak Yen Remain in Focus 
Federal Reserve Begins Treasury Bill Purchases to Stabilize Reserves and Money Markets 
Anghami Stock Soars After Strong H1 2025 Results, Revenue Nearly Doubles on OSN+ Integration 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Tech and Financial Stocks Weigh on Markets Amid Thin Holiday Trading 
SoftBank Completes $41 Billion OpenAI Investment in Historic AI Funding Round 
Hong Kong Home Prices Rise for Sixth Straight Month as Rate Cuts Lift Market Sentiment 
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly Cut Obesity Drug Prices in China, Boosting Access to Wegovy and Mounjaro 
Disney Agrees to $10 Million Settlement Over Child Privacy Violations on YouTube 
Oil Prices Slide in 2025 as Oversupply and Geopolitical Risks Shape Market Outlook 
China to Cut Import Tariffs on Key Commodities and Medical Products From Next Year 
U.S. Dollar Slides Toward Biggest Annual Loss Since 2017 as 2026 Risks Loom 
Australia’s Modern Gold Rush: Hobby Prospectors Flock to Victoria’s Golden Triangle 
7-Eleven operator, Lotte Group's Korea Seven, is picking up speed with the completion of its merger and acquisition (M&A) deal with Ministop so it can start the take over of the stores in South Korea.
As per Pulse News, 7-Eleven is working double time so it can quickly covert the Ministop convenience stores in the country into 7-Elevens. Korea Seven bought the store chain in March, and now it is focusing on the conversion of Ministops so it can start its campaign and go against CU, one of the leading store chains in the region.
CU is said to have 15,855 outlets across S. Korea, while another rival, GS25 convenience store, has 15,453 locations. As for 7-Eleven, it only has 11,173 as of 2021, and Ministop operates 2,602.
In March, the franchise agreement of Ministop expired, and 7-Eleven seized the chance and entered into a merger agreement so it could take over its existing stores. This deal will eventually bring its store number to more than 13,000, and this will allow the company to catch up with its rival store brands.
As part of the agreement, Korea Seven said that all Ministops in Korea will now become 7-Eleven outlets. The deal proceeded smoothly after the country's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) approved Lotte CVS' bid to acquire Ministop Korea from the Japanese retail and financial services firm, Aeon Group.
Ministop Korea was sold for KRW313.3 billion or about $256.9 million in March. Korea Joongang Daily further reported that Korea Seven has been confirmed as 7-Eleven Korea's official licensee, which will allow it to acquire not only the stores but 12 Ministop logistics centers as well. These facilities are expected to boost 7-Eleven's quick-commerce and delivery services.
"We will be able to enhance brand competitiveness when the capabilities of two companies come together," Korea Seven's chief executive officer, Choi Kyung Ho, said in a statement regarding the acquisition.
Meanwhile, the FTC approved the merger of 7-Eleven and Ministop because it does not see the deal as something that will lead to a dominance of a specific company in the market.
