Woon Wing Yip
Encyclopedia
Woon Wing Yip OBE
(born 1940) is a Chinese
-born British
entrepreneur
, best known for having started the Wing Yip
supermarket
chain.
A Hakka
born in Dongguan, Guangdong in 1940, Yip arrived in Birmingham
, United Kingdom from Hong Kong in 1959 with 10 pounds at the age of 19. He then worked and later started his own restaurants in the East Anglia region of England, in towns such as Clacton and Ipswich. With the ability to speak English, he founded the Wing Yip
supermarket in United Kingdom.
The Wing Yip business has also branched out into property development, management and investment, with more than 60 commercial and residential tenants around the country. The property portfolio is worth around £23 million.
With an annual turnover of 80 million pounds, he became the first Anglo-Chinese tycoon in United Kingdom.
Yip is also a philanthropist who has among other acts of generosity, endowed several bursaries and scholarships for university students from both the UK and China, administered through the W Wing Yip and Brothers Charitable Trust.
In 2008 Mr Wing Yip was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University
.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1940) is a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, best known for having started the Wing Yip
Wing Yip
Wing Yip is a Chinese supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, founded in 1969.The current Birmingham store now also serves as its headquarters office, international trading division, property and investments, , warehouse, and national distribution centre...
supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain.
A Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
born in Dongguan, Guangdong in 1940, Yip arrived in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, United Kingdom from Hong Kong in 1959 with 10 pounds at the age of 19. He then worked and later started his own restaurants in the East Anglia region of England, in towns such as Clacton and Ipswich. With the ability to speak English, he founded the Wing Yip
Wing Yip
Wing Yip is a Chinese supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, founded in 1969.The current Birmingham store now also serves as its headquarters office, international trading division, property and investments, , warehouse, and national distribution centre...
supermarket in United Kingdom.
The Wing Yip business has also branched out into property development, management and investment, with more than 60 commercial and residential tenants around the country. The property portfolio is worth around £23 million.
With an annual turnover of 80 million pounds, he became the first Anglo-Chinese tycoon in United Kingdom.
Yip is also a philanthropist who has among other acts of generosity, endowed several bursaries and scholarships for university students from both the UK and China, administered through the W Wing Yip and Brothers Charitable Trust.
In 2008 Mr Wing Yip was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University is a British university in the city of Birmingham, England. It is the second largest of three universities in the city, the other two being the Aston University and University of Birmingham...
.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.