Tokyo (AFP) – Former chairman of Seven & i Holdings Toshifumi Suzuki, credited for the global success of 7-Eleven convenience stores, has died at the age of 93, the company said Monday.
Issued on: 25/05/2026 - 05:04
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Former chairman of Seven & i Holdings Toshifumi Suzuki is known for opening the first 7-Eleven store in Japan in 1974 and growing the business into the world's largest convenience store chain © / JIJI PRESS/AFP/File
Suzuki "passed away due to heart failure on May 18," the company said in a statement, adding: "We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to him during his lifetime and respectfully inform you of his passing."Suzuki is known for opening the first 7-Eleven store in Japan in 1974 and growing the business into the world's largest convenience store chain, including through turning the struggling US headquarters into a subsidiary of the Japanese company and rebuilding it.He is known as the "father of the convenience store" in Japan.
