Seven & I says former chairman Toshifumi Suzuki dies at age of 93

Toshifumi Suzuki, outgoing chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Seven & i Holdings Co., waves as he leaves a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, April 7, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

TOKYO, ⁠May 25 (Reuters) - ⁠Seven & I Holdings ‌said on Monday that former ​chairman Toshifumi ⁠Suzuki died ⁠on May 18 ⁠at ‌the ⁠age of 93. Known ​as ‌the father of ⁠Japan's ​convenience store industry, ⁠Suzuki set up ​Seven-Eleven Japan in 1973, and ⁠expanded the franchise model and ​transformed ⁠Japan's retail sector.

(Reporting ​by ‌Mariko Katsumura; ​Editing by Christian Schmollinger)