Wing Yip is a Chinese supermarket chain founded by Woon Wing Yip in England in 1970. The original Birmingham store now also serve as its headquarters, international trading division, property investments, online store (mail order), warehouse, and national distribution centre. The company has superstore branches in Manchester, Croydon and Cricklewood. In addition, the company has expanded into wholesale and export (international trade) and real estate development/management, such as siting its stores within larger commercial centres. Having supplied Chinese restaurants and takeaways, the British Chinese community, and Chinese food enthusiasts for over five decades, its high-quality tofu-based meat substitutes have also made it popular with the rapidly increasing number of people changing to vegan diets since the 2010s. Founder The founder, Woon Wing Yip, was a Hakka born in Dongguan County, Guangdong, China, in 1937. He arrived in the United Kingdom from Hong Kong in 1959 with £10. With an annual turnover of 80 million pounds, he became the first Chinese tycoon in the UK. Wing Yip was honoured by Her Majesty The Queen on 10 March 2010 at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace and awarded an OBE for his services to the Oriental food industry. Wing Yip said "I was so surprised and feel very honoured, especially after coming here as an immigrant. I knew when I arrived in the UK that I wanted to be more than a waiter and quickly became head waiter, then opened my first restaurant with my business partners in Clacton in 1962. I would like to thank all my staff who have provided me with their support and dedication and made the success of Wing Yip possible.” Chronology 1959 – Wing Yip arrives in England by boat from Hong Kong. 1960s – Wing Yip opens a restaurant with partners in a former tea shop in Clacton-on-Sea. This is quickly followed by a further three restaurants and two take-aways in the East Anglia region. In 1968, he is joined by his brother, Sammy Yap who worked in the hotel trade in Hong Kong. 1970 – Wing Yip and his brother Sammy open a specialist Chinese grocery in Digbeth, Birmingham, supplying more than 1,000 genuine Chinese products to restaurants and takeaways as well as to Chinese families in and around Birmingham. This first Wing Yip store in Digbeth employs fewer than ten people and quickly gains a following in the Chinese community and with those