Meanings of seiyū in English

Walmart says it has not made a decision to sell Seiyu.

Trade of Seiyu's shares was suspended by the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday, following reports of the buyout.

Walmart-Rakuten will open a warehouse to service these orders in addition to using Seiyu stores, the companies said.

The purchase of part or all of Walmart's Seiyu chain would mark a dramatic acceleration of that expansion.

In addition to its human resources, Seiyu has many locations that you cannot get your hands on, said Ohara.

Shares of Seiyu have lost three-quarters of their value since the end of 2002, the year when Wal-Mart first bought into the supermarket.

But Seiyu and bigger rival Aeon Co 8267.T expect change ahead due to growing numbers of working women, and advancements in technology and logistics networks.

Judith McKenna, CEO of Walmart International, was also quoted in the statement as supporting a potential public listing of Seiyu with Walmart retaining majority ownership.

It took a minority stake in Japan's Seiyu earlier in the decade and gradually increased that, eventually making the Japanese company a wholly owned unit.

Wal-Mart has 371 Seiyu stores and 43 Wakana deli outlets in Japan, of which 24 were affected by the disaster.

Last month, Seiyu said it would offer early retirement to 450 of its employees, or about 7 percent of its work force.

Walmart has struggled to replicate the success of its low-price model with Seiyu despite the introduction of an "everyday low price" pledge and frequent discounting.

Seiyu denied the business was up for sale.

Seiyu said it could not immediately comment.

Seiyu, with more than 300 stores, would be a large asset for a Japanese retailer to absorb.