Woon Wing Yip

Who is Woon Wing Yip?

Woon Wing Yip OBE 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 Yip was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours.