7-ELEVEN TO PUMP BILLIONS INTO U.S. STORES

Owner of 7-Eleven Inc., Japanese retailer Seven & I Holdings, plans to pump $2.4 billion in the next four years to open 1,000 c-stores in the U.S. and revamp existing outlets. News of Tesco’s imminent arrival has shifted the Japanese company’s interest from improving internal organization to improving and expanding U.S. stores, says Reuters. The expansion plan includes lifting product sales by at least 15% from 2006.