Toshifumi Suzuki died on May 18 at age 93 from heart failure. He led 7-Eleven in Japan and helped create a large convenience store franchise network. Under his leadership, stores operated 24 hours, used point-of-sale systems for inventory management, and offered in-store banking. By 2015, the network grew to more than 55,000 stores worldwide. Suzuki followed a lifelong motto, “Adapt to change,” formed during World War II. He applied that mindset when he introduced the American convenience store model to Japan in 1973, where small family shops dominated. The first Tokyo store stocked American items and expanded rapidly. In 2013, he introduced freshly brewed counter coffee as a major product innovation.
"Under Suzuki's leadership, 7-Eleven pioneered 24-hour operations, point-of-sale inventory systems, and in-store banking. By 2015, the empire had grown to more than 55,000 stores globally, earning him the industry nickname “God of Retail,” according to The New York Times."
"Suzuki credited a three-word motto forged during World War II for his four decades of relentless innovation: “ Adapt to change.” This became his lifelong credo after his life was suddenly upended as a junior high school student during the war. That philosophy drove him to bring the American convenience store concept to a skeptical Japanese market in 1973, where small mom-and-pop shops dominated."
"The first Tokyo location, stocked with American items like hamburgers, was an immediate hit and expanded to 100 stores within two years. 7-Eleven's last major product innovation was the freshly brewed counter coffee that The God himself introduced in 2013."
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