TOKYO, May 25, 2026 (BSSA/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.

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.