The Man Who Built 7-Eleven Into a Global Empire Had One Three-Word Motto —Here’s What It Was
Toshifumi Suzuki, known as “The God of Retail,” started with one Tokyo store and built up an empire with tens of thousands of locations.
Toshifumi Suzuki, the man who brought 7-Eleven to Japan and built a convenience store franchise empire, passed away on May 18 at 93 from heart failure. 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.
Toshifumi Suzuki, the man who brought 7-Eleven to Japan and built a convenience store franchise empire, passed away on May 18 at 93 from heart failure. 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.
