Seven & i Holdings has grown with the convenience store business at its core, establishing a leadership position and setting the pace for the sector. Today, the 7-Eleven business continues to expand in Japan and internationally, welcoming approximately 30 million customers each day in our two key markets, Japan and North America. At the same time, our operating environment is changing rapidly and customer needs worldwide are diversifying. To achieve breakthrough growth, we need to be transforming ourselves. Accordingly, we have made a decisive shift to a corporate structure focused on the convenience store business.

In pursuing this transformation, we reaffirm our founding principles as the basis for everything we do: acting with integrity to earn the trust of all stakeholders and proactively embracing and leading change. Working in partnership with stakeholders, we will advance this transformation to deliver an even better shopping experience for customers while sharing the value created by our growth with franchisees, shareholders, and all of our stakeholders.

To execute this, we have decided to implement a new management processes and have established a unified management structure centered on a leadership team of the CEO and four Directors, working as one. By working closely with the leadership teams of each operating company, we will focus on execution and its speed.

Over the years, we have consistently delivered innovations that set us apart in our industry, including proprietary merchandise development processes, the buildout of our own supply chain, and proprietary marketing expertise, such as Tanpinkanri (Retailer Initiatives). To further leverage our strength in fresh food, we will continue to invest in store equipment and infrastructure to maximize growth opportunities. Our on-demand delivery platform, 7NOW, already operates in areas that together cover approximately half of the U.S. population, and a nationwide rollout has begun in Japan. We view 7NOW as a critical initiative that signals the next generation of convenience stores, and we will place even greater focus on scaling it.

We will also harness rapidly advancing technologies, including AI, to accelerate innovation and offer new levels of convenience and comfort to our customers. In parallel, we are putting in place mechanisms that allow 7-Eleven businesses worldwide to share innovations quickly and maximize value creation across the Group.

We are entering a new phase in our journey toward becoming a truly global company, advancing our transformation on two fronts: capturing near-term growth opportunities and executing strategic initiatives with a clear view of the next generation of convenience stores. Through this transformation, we will deliver stronger global growth, create new value, and benefit all stakeholders. We appreciate your continued support.