Ye Guofu was born in 1978 in a small village in the Shennongjia Mountains of Hubei, where he grew up in poverty.

In his youth, he was not destined to be a businessman. His dream was to be a singer. This dream was stopped when his choir teacher told him in front of all his classmates that his voice was fake and that he should « open his mouth but not say anything ».

Ye studied at the Shiyan Finance and Trade School, but although he was a good student, he was forced to stop his studies ONE month before graduation because he could no longer pay his tuition fees. In June 1998, Ye Guofu, 21, moved to Foshan without telling his parents and found a job to support himself and his family. He worked for several years in a steel tube factory. During this time he thought about how to organise the production line, top-note quality product and production cycle length. This experience allowed him to develop necessary skills to launch his business.

But it was while vacation in Japan that he found inspiration that would change his life.

He met Miyake Junya, a japanese designer and joigned forces to launch Miniso, a chain of low-cost home goods. At that time, the European, American and Japanese economies were sluggish. Consumers were rather skittish and looking for good quality products at low prices. Minimalism was also trendy. 

From the beginning, Miniso has gained market share and its development has been spectacular.

 Miniso has got no less than 4,200 shops worldwide. In comparison, giants like Zara (3,800 shops) or Sephora (2,500 shops) look small. To encourage customers to return regularly, new products are added to the shelves every week. Ye Guofu wants to convey a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle, both through products and the in-store shopping experience. Miniso’s strategy involves selling many everyday products at a very low price but without cutting corners on quality and design. The brand works with designers around the world, allowing it to be ahead of the trends. It combines this with China industrial strength shops around the world, Ye Guofu adapts products to suit local needs. 
In addition, 90% of employees are recruited locally. Ye Guofu wishes to put forward his values within its company, which are: simplicity and authenticity in products, best quality/price ratio, naturalness in materials and respect for consumers and nature. 
Since 2016, Miniso collaborates with world renown brands such as Marvel and Disney and hold franchises.

In October 2020, Miniso was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company raised $608 M.

The year 2020 is also marked by Miniso arrival in Paris, which has seen more than 10,000 visitors to its first Parisian shop in Chaussée d’Antin. A real success for the Chinese entrepreneur. In December of the same year, Miniso set up a partnership with FNAC. Miniso’s aim is to diversify distribution channels through own shops, franchises, pop-up stores and shop-in-shops. 
With a presence in more than 90 countries and following coronavirus, Ye Guofu decided, in 2021, to enter e-commerce industry by offering omnichannel services, such as e-reservation or click and collect, proof of its power throughout the world.
There is no doubt that MINISO, under the leadership of Ye Guofu, has become a multinational giant. 

Today, Ye Guofu lives with his wife in Guangzhou.