The Sypkes are a prominent business family from Tasmania, Australia. They came to prominence after they immigrated to Tasmania from the Netherlands, where Engel Sypkes went on to found the Purity supermarket chain in 1958. The chain was sold in 1981, at the time encompassing 16 stores.[1] The family presently owns, in addition to 50% of Shiploads,[2] the Sypkes group which consists of their real estate and investment holdings across Tasmania.[3]

Sypkes Family

Engel Sypkes

Engel Sypkes was an Australian businessman from the Netherlands who migrated to Tasmania in 1951.

In 1951, Engel, his wife Ann and their three children migrated from the Netherlands amid new threats of war in Europe.[4] They came by plane on the same flight as the Vos family, who established the Roelf Vos supermarket chain in northern Tasmania.[5]

Shortly after arriving in Tasmania, the family opened a small general store in Stanley.[4] After a trip to the United States Sypkes was exposed to 'Modern Merchandising Methods'. Shortly after his return to Tasmania he opened their first Purity supermarket in Hobart in 1958.[4] Before its sale to Woolworths in 1981, his supermarket chain encompassed sixteen stores throughout southern Tasmania.[4]

Peter Sypkes

Engel's sons Peter and Rudie Sypkes founded Chickenfeed in 1990, a chain of discount variety stores located throughout Tasmania[1] and sold in 2001 for an estimated $35 million (AUD).[6]

In 2017, Peter sold his holdings in Aconex as part of a takeover bid by Oracle Corporation for an estimated 12.8 million.[7]

Peter Sypkes was appointed honorary consul of the Netherlands to Tasmania in 2012.[8][9][10] He is the patron of the Dutch Australia Society[11]

Rudie Sypkes

Rudie Sypkes went on to invest in various businesses, including an investment advisory company, real estate in Queensland and oil in Texas.[5] In 2002 Rudie was appointed honorary consul for the Czech Republic to Tasmania[12] and in 2007 won the AICD Tasmania Gold Medal Director of the Year, presented by the Governor of Tasmania.[13] He was also a director of the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies[14]

Rudie Sypkes died of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2007.[6][15] Before his death the Sypkes family donated $600,000 (AUD) for respiratory medicine research.[16] His passing was noted by the media and politicians, with tributes made by the Premier,[16] State Opposition Leader[17] and during a session of the federal parliament Senator David Bushby.[18]

Andrew Sypkes

Rudie Sypkes son Andrew Sypkes invested in the Shiploads chain of discount stores in 2011, just shortly before the collapse of the family's former company Chickenfeed, the main competitor of their new venture. They were blamed for contributing to the demise of Chickenfeed by the company's communication manager, because of their continued ownership of a number of the store locations.[19] He is also an investor in construction tech company Varicon.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sypkes Family".
  2. ↑ "Shiploads". www.shiploads.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Sypkes Group :: Tasmania, Australia".
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Sypkes Family". Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Rudie and North Korea". Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Rudie Sypkes' shock death". Archived from the original on 11 February 2008.
  7. ↑ "The Aussie investors set to profit from Aconex's $1.6 billion sale". Australian Financial Review. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Sypkes, Peter. "Mr". Kingdom of the Netherlands. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Peter Sypkes new Honorary Consul in Tasmania". Archived from the original on 12 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "18th April 2012". Archived from the original on 17 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "Senator David Bushby : Speeches". Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "News and Views".
  14. ↑ "Slide 1" (PDF). Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Tributes to Rudie Sypkes". ABC News. 8 February 2008.
  16. 1 2 Fairfax Regional Media (8 February 2008). "Chickenfeed founder dies after illness". The Examiner.
  17. ↑ "Tasmanian Liberals".
  18. ↑ "Mr Rudie Sypkes: 11 Mar 2008: Senate debates (OpenAustralia.org)".
  19. ↑ "The Mercury". Archived from the original on 17 December 2013.
  20. ↑ Thomsen, Simon (17 March 2022). "Construction tech startup Varicon nails $2.25 million Seed round". Startup Daily. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
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