Seven & i Holdings Co. shares fell on its plans to tell Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. that its buyout proposal for the Japanese convenience store operator is insufficient and that hurdles over competition regulation remain.

CBOE Global Markets Inc. is partnering with a London-based tech firm to create a US trading platform for shares of closely held companies, a traditionally illiquid market that investors have increasingly sought to access.

Former IndyCar driver Michael Andretti is back with another blank-check firm as the US market for a once-hot investing trend shows new momentum with mostly seasoned backers attracting billions in cash.

The future leader of the nearly 600 stores Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. must sell to complete their tie-up testified that the new company will have the agility of a mid-size firm backed by the buying power of the largest US grocery distributor.

Partners at Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord this week voted in favor of the law firms merging, according to a joint statement Thursday.

Salesforce Inc. said it was buying data protection and management solutions provider Own for $1.9 billion, the company’s second acquisition this week.