I thought that this would be of interest, since we all know who 7-11 is. $38 billion is greater than the GDP of each of the smallest 33 nations on the planet. The operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain has turned down a $38.5 billion buyout offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, citing that the bid was inadequate in value. The shares of 7-11's Japanese holding company (Seven & i) swung between gains and losses before closing lower at $14.99 on Friday, slightly above the value of the $14.86 per share proposal. The stock traded at $12.29 before Couche-Tard’s bid was announced on Aug. 19. Couche-Tard’s shares have fallen about 8 percent since its proposal to Seven & i was made public. Alimentation Couche-Tard operates over 6,700 Circle-K convenience stores in the states. There are 9,400 7-Elevens in the U.S.