{"id":14900,"date":"2025-04-26T11:50:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T11:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=14900"},"modified":"2025-04-26T11:50:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T11:50:48","slug":"7-elevens-incoming-ceo-credits-his-tough-customer-mother-and-aunts-as-his-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=14900","title":{"rendered":"7-Eleven\u2019s incoming CEO credits his \u2018tough customer\u2019 mother and aunts as his inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n

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><\/p>\n

A special company committee, which he isn\u2019t part of, is charged with studying the options \u201ctotally objectively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe process is moving forward very constructively,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

His appointment as chief executive still needs shareholders\u2019 approval, set for May. Seven & i shares have risen more than 2% in the past year.<\/p>\n

Fluent in Japanese and English, Dacus said he was determined to build a culture of leadership that he\u2019s learned to admire from his experience working at Walmart<\/a>, Uniqlo<\/a> and other retailers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not humble, you\u2019re not listening to your customers. You\u2019re not learning. But if you\u2019re not aggressive, you\u2019re going to get beat by your competitors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dacus stressed the 7-Eleven chain was growing globally<\/a>. But the stores were different by nation, and his intent was not to duplicate everywhere the Japanese-style \u201cconbini,\u201d as they are known here.<\/p>\n

Lowering costs can be delivered with a better supply chain, for instance, leveraging the chain\u2019s global reach, while a cheaper recipe for a food item will merely drive customers away, said Dacus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis business in Japan has been built on innovation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While declining to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s policies, he acknowledged buyers will likely tighten their purse strings in a slowdown.<\/p>\n

The answer is to be the first choice for where they shop, Dacus said, noting that his mother and Japanese relatives he watched growing up never wasted anything. They would wrap leftover dinner rolls at restaurants in paper to take home, he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to talk to some tough customers, you go talk to my aunts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJapanese customers are incredibly demanding. That\u2019s something that really resonates with me. And that forms the way I think about retail.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":756,"featured_media":14901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n7-Eleven\u2019s incoming CEO credits his \u2018tough customer\u2019 mother and aunts as his inspiration | Unlock Informed 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