Yuppiechef is an online retailer of kitchen and homeware products founded in 2006 by Andrew Smith and Shane Dryden in Cape Town, South Africa.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | E-commerce, Retail |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Andrew Smith, Shane Dryden |
| Headquarters | Cape Town, South Africa |
Area served | South Africa |
Key people | Andrew Smith, Shane Dryden |
Number of employees | 150+ |
| Website | yuppiechef.com |
Originally run from Smith’s home, Yuppiechef was one of a few experimental e-commerce projects initiated by the co-founders, who were running a web development agency at the time. Initially, the first Yuppiechef deliveries were packed and shipped from Smith's lounge.[2]
In 2010, Yuppiechef gained significant media attention through guerrilla marketing that made use of a national marketing campaign by retailer Woolworths called ‘Woolies Lovebirds’.[3][4][5][6] A misspelled URL on Woolworth’s marketing material, allowed them to register the URL, and post a ransom note asking that Woolworths match any donations by Yuppiechef’s customers to a local charity they supported at the time.
Known for their handwritten cards[7] and fanatical customer following,[8] Yuppiechef is considered one of the pioneers of e-commerce in South Africa[9] and has been named the best eCommerce store in South Africa from 2010 - 2015.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
Twelve years after starting its online store, Yuppiechef opened its first brick & mortar stores in Cape Town and Johannesburg.[16] In October 2017, the first of their physical retail stores was launched.[17] The company has subsequently opened two more stores in Cape Town.[18] Yuppiechef is now headquartered in Westlake Business Park, from where they also operate a store.
Yuppiechef was sold to Mr Price in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.[19]
Smith and Dryden launched their next business, Brave Hardy, in 2023 [20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Andrew Smith | Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans". Archive-za.com. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ Barry, Hanna (2015-04-14). "What Yuppiechef can teach corporates about customer service". Moneyweb. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "Woolies campaign 'hijacked' | Sci-Tech | Sci-Tech | M&G". Mg.co.za. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ Davis, Rebecca (2010-02-07). "Ambush marketers hold Woolworths to ransom, and get some lovin' in return". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "Adams & Adams Attorneys > Media Centre > News > Woolworths' lovebirds held for ransom". Adamsadams.com. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "eCommerce Contenders: The rise of Yuppiechef - MWEB Small Biz". Mweb.co.za. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ Mills, Greg (2011-08-18). "Yuppiechef's recipe for customer growth". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ Carstens, Martin (2013-03-26). "The Yuppiechef cult: how a startup sparked a religion – Ventureburn". Ventureburn.com. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ Zeenat Moorad (2014-09-25). "YUPPIECHEF: Starting to sizzle nicely | Features". financialmail. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "How South Africa's top e-commerce store wins customer loyalty". Howwemadeitinafrica.com. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "2010 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "2011 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "2012 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "2013 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "2014 Winners". eCommerce Awards. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
- ^ "This startling statistic shows why Yuppiechef is opening stores in malls". BusinessInsider. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ "Yuppiechef is opening its first brick and mortar store next month". Retrieved 2018-11-26.
- ^ "About Yuppiechef's Physical Stores & Omnichannel Retail Strategy". www.yuppiechef.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
- ^ "Mr Price purchase of Yuppiechef gets the go-ahead". Bizcommunity. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ "Founders of YuppieChef launch premium camping retailer, Brave Hardy". CapeTalk. Retrieved 2023-12-13.