Toshifumi Suzuki, 'father' of Japan convenience stores, dies at 93

Toshifumi Suzuki, credited for the global success of 7-Eleven convenience stores, has died at the age of 93.

The former chairman of Seven & i Holdings "passed away due to heart failure on May 18," the company said in a statement.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to him during his lifetime and respectfully inform you of his passing," it added.

Suzuki was 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 turning the struggling US headquarters into a subsidiary of the Japanese company and rebuilding it.

He was known as the "father of convenience stores" in Japan.

Suzuki, born in Nagano Prefecture, northern Japan, in 1932, graduated from the prestigious Chuo University in Tokyo.

Before beginning his career in the convenience store business, he worked at Ito-Yokado, a major Japanese retail chain that sells a variety of products, including groceries, cosmetics, and clothing, which is also owned by Seven and i Holdings.

Apart from leading 7-Eleven, Suzuki engineered the acquisition of Barney’s Japan in 2015 and added banking functions to the empire.

He said he wanted to provide customers with what he called a lifestyle shopping experience. Over the years, the retailing giant also brought under its wing the Sogo and Seibu department stores.

Suzuki became the chief executive of 7-Eleven Japan in 1978. He was widely seen as having innovated how Japanese consumers shop. Convenience stores have led retailers in Japan in implementing new retail technologies. (with reports from AP)