TOKYO (Reuters) - The founding family of Seven & i is asking Thailand's Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group to invest in a managed buyout of the Japanese retailing giant, NHK reported on Thursday.

The founding family is in talks to take Seven & i private through a management buyout to fend off a $47 billion takeover from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.

The investment would be in the order of hundreds of billions of yen, Japan's national broadcaster said.

Seven & i declined to comment on the report. A representative for CP Group said they do not comment on speculation.