The man who helped make 7-Eleven so popular in Japan has died.

Toshifumi Suzuki partnered with the US operator of 7-Eleven to bring the convenience store chain to Japan in 1973 and then went on to revolutionize the use of sales, customer, and inventory data to help make the stores a popular source of cheap and easy meals for locals, and a must-stop destination for tourists. Suzuki was 93 years old. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. A free daily digest of the news that matters most. The Verge is a part of PMX Global, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 VM Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Sign in to see your notifications or create an account to join the conversation.