Tom Ah Chee | |
|---|---|
 Chee in the Ōtāhuhu Foodtown in the 1970s | |
| Born | Thomas Henry Ah Chee 4 January 1928 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 18 March 2000 (aged 72) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Thomas Henry Ah Chee (4 January 1928 – 18 March 2000) was a New Zealand businessman, who established the Foodtown supermarket chain and the Georgie Pie fast-food restaurant franchise.
Born in Auckland to Chinese parents, he spent most of his early years in China before his father moved the Chee family back to New Zealand following the Japanese occupation of Canton. He took over the family's produce shop in 1951 and before long, recognised the potential for the introduction of American-style supermarkets in New Zealand. In 1958, Chee and two business partners opened the first Foodtown supermarket at Ōtāhuhu. This soon led to more Foodtown supermarkets being opened across Auckland, owned by Progressive Enterprises, a holding company established by Chee, his business partners and investor Brian Picot. Wanting to diversify their business interests, Chee and Picot formed the Georgie Pie fast food restaurant chain, opening the first store in 1977; four more followed in the next five years. Chee retired in 1982, having given up the running of the supermarket business a couple of years earlier. He died of liver cancer at the age of 72 in Auckland.