Businessman Toshifumi Suzuki, founder of Japan's convenience store industry, which has become a hallmark of the country, has died at the age of 93, NHK reported.
With the help of Suzuki, whose company Ito Yokado received a license to open stores for the American chain 7-Eleven in the 1970s, the first “convenience store“ appeared in Japan. This is the local term for stores that sell a wide range of everyday goods, from food and drinks to shirts and pencils.
Suzuki is considered the founder of the “konbini“ industry, which has become one of Japan's most recognizable symbols abroad. The 7-Eleven chain operates more than 21,000 stores across Japan. Competitors operating similar stores operate an estimated 30,000 more.