The founder of 7-Eleven has passed away.

Toshifumi Suzuki was a businessman who played a transformative role in Japan's retail industry through the expansion of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain. He passed away at the age of 93 on May 18th due to heart failure. The news was announced by Seven & i Holdings on May 25th.

"We express our deepest gratitude for the love and respect everyone showed him during his lifetime," read a statement from Seven & i Holdings.

Toshifumi Suzuki is an influential figure in the Japanese business world. Photo: Mint.

Toshifumi Suzuki was born in 1932 in Nagano Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. After completing high school, he moved to the city to attend university and completed his bachelor's degree in economics and commerce at Chuo University in 1956.

He joined the Ito-Yokado supermarket chain (Japan) in 1963, quickly rising to a middle-level executive position managing a chain of general retailers. While visiting the United States, Suzuki was fascinated by 7-Eleven stores – their crowded, chaotic yet highly efficient branches that understood local tastes.

Toshifumi Suzuki decided to acquire Southland Corp (the parent company of 7-Eleven in the US) after the company filed for bankruptcy in 1990. In 1978, Suzuki became the CEO of Seven-Eleven Japan. In 2005, when the parent company Seven & i Holdings was formed to consolidate the supermarket and restaurant segments, he became its Chairman and CEO.

"When I first decided to bring 7-Eleven to Japan, everyone said it wouldn't succeed and opposed the idea, from executives and university professors to advisors. But I knew they were wrong," Suzuki shared in a 2013 interview.

Under Suzuki's leadership, 7-Eleven Japan thrived by focusing on operational efficiency, data-driven inventory management, and small-scale stores serving the daily needs of local residents.

The 7-Eleven convenience store chain has expanded globally . Photo: The Japan Times.

According to Reuters , Suzuki's approach has transformed shopping habits in Japan, where convenience stores are increasingly moving beyond their role as mere grocery outlets to become essential centers for bill payments, ticket bookings, ATM services, parcel delivery, and ready-to-eat meals.

After 40 years of continuous improvement, expansion, and development of 7-Eleven, he stepped down as CEO of the company in 2016 at the age of 83. His two books on the development and success of the 7-Eleven Group, published in Japan in 2013, are "Psychological Warfare in Retail" and "Changing Mindsets in Retail."

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nha-sang-lap-7-eleven-qua-doi-post1846259.tpo