The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Japan's Seven & i Holdings is weighing a takeover offer from a member of its founding Ito family, a white-knight bid that could thwart efforts by Couche-Tard to buy 7-Eleven. The Globe's Nicolas Van Praet writes that a special committee of Seven & i directors is reviewing options including Couche-Tard's offer, and a confidential offer from Junro Ito, a Seven & i vice-president and director. Mr. Ito's father, the late Masatoshi Ito, built the retail empire that owns 7-Eleven. Stephen Dacus, chair of the special committee, said in a statement that directors will "continue to engage with all parties" in a bid to maximize value. Mr. Ito is making the offer with his family's asset management company, Ito-Kogyo. It is being billed in Japanese media as a management buyout to take Seven & i private, which would give its directors and executives breathing space to pursue their own strategy without public shareholder pressure. The emergence of the new offer reflects the belief by some Japanese power brokers that the country's biggest retailer should not fall into foreign hands. Mr. Ito is working with trading and investment conglomerate Itochu on the offer.