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TOKYO, March 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Seven & i Holdings 3382.T said on Monday that talks have begun with Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard $(ACT)$ over a store sale plan that would set the stage for ACT's $47 billion takeover bid.

Last week, the 7-Eleven convenience store operator named Stephen Dacus as its new CEO to lead a recovery and respond to the takeover offer from Couche-Tard ATD.TO.

Seven & i has said U.S. antitrust law would be a barrier to any deal. The companies are the top two players in the U.S. convenience store market, with about 20,000 locations between them.

In a letter to shareholders on Monday, Seven & i said it proposed that the two companies could map out the viability of a divestiture process and identify potential buyers.

Couche-Tard had said last week that it is engaged in exploratory talks with third parties about a potential sale of U.S. stores, which would help it gain regulatory approval.

It said it had identified a portfolio of U.S. stores and was in talks to "identify possible acquirers".

Couche-Tard "recently agreed" to the proposal to explore the viability of divestitures that would allow for an assessment of the Canadian company's buyout offer, Seven & i said on Monday.

Separately, Seven & i said Joseph Michael DePinto stepped down as a director of the holding company while remaining the chief executive of 7-Eleven Inc.

Top executives from Couche-Tard are due to visit Tokyo this week to speak with media about their takeover bid.

Artisan Partners APAM.N, a U.S.-based investor in Seven & i Holdings, said on Sunday it opposed the Japanese retailer's CEO succession plan and urged the company to reconsider Couche-Tard's takeover offer.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift and Anton Bridge; Editing by Stephen Coates)

((rocky.swift@thomsonreuters.com;))