Read the complete write-up of Ben Francis net worth, age, wife, children, height, family, parents, business, story as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Ben Francis is a British businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Gymshark. With a stake of over 70% in Gymshark.
Early life
Name | Ben Francis |
Net Worth | £750 million |
Occupation | Businessman, Entrepreneur |
Height | 1.83m |
Age | 29 years |
Ben Francis was born 4 June 1992 (age 29 years) in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, United Kingdom. He attended South Bromsgrove High School. He first became interested in computing after studying IT at school. His first business was an online company that sold car license plates.
Francis started going to the gym as a teenager. He later said, “the structure, consistency and work ethic I found in the gym I realized, could be applied to different areas of my life and it would work”.
In 2010, he studied international business and management at Aston University. He paused his studies in 2012 after launching Gymshark. He has said his time at university gave him “a strong foundation on which to build a business”.
Career
Ben Francis developed two fitness applications, Fat Loss Abs Guide and iPhysique, which were both listed in the iOS App Store charts before launching Gymshark. While at university between 2010 and 2013, he worked for Pizza Hut as a delivery boy earning £5 an hour. He left six months after launching Gymshark.
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Francis launched Gymshark in his parents’ garage with school friend Lewis Morgan in 2012, at age 19. The website initially sold fitness supplements. Unable to afford to buy stock or secure distribution deals with supplement suppliers, he began dropshipping supplies from other vendors and it took him six weeks to make his first sale.
Gymshark story
Gymshark began life as a supplements company. In 2013, branching out from supplements, Francis began designing and selling fitness apparel on Gymshark’s website.
Ben Francis began manufacturing the products from his parent’s garage in Bromsgrove, using a sewing machine and screen printer he bought with £1,000 of savings. He learned how to sew from his grandmother. In 2013, branching out from supplements, Francis began designing and selling fitness apparel on Gymshark’s website.
Francis exhibited Gymshark’s products at the BodyPower fitness trade show in Birmingham in 2013. After the trade show ended, a tracksuit went viral on Facebook, generating £30,000 in sales within 30 minutes. Francis later left university and quit his job at Pizza Hut to focus on the company full-time.
He marketed the brand through partnering with social media influencers, including YouTube bodybuilders Nikki Blackketter and Lex Griffin ss a start-up. Gymshark was one of the first brands to make extensive use of social media influencers.
Ben Francis stepped down as CEO of the company to become a chief brand officer in 2015. At the time, he said the move would allow the company “to grow even more quickly” and give him time to “work on my weaknesses and become a more rounded businessperson”.
Gymshark opened a new £5 million headquarters in Solihull, West Midlands in 2018. In 2019, Gymshark opened its own branded gym and innovation hub. Since 2016, Gymshark has been listed on The Sunday Times Fast Track of fast-growing private companies. The company currently sells products in 131 countries.
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In August 2020, Gymshark sold a 21% stake to US private equity firm General Atlantic in a deal that valued the company in excess of £1 billion. Francis currently owns more than 70% of the company.
Ben Francis stepped down as CEO in July 2015 to become chief marketing officer, chief brand officer, and chief product officer, until August 2021, when he resumed the role of CEO.
Wife
Ben Francis is married to his longtime girlfriend Robin Gallantt, they had their wedding in 2021 in a private ceremony. His wife Robin Gallantt is a private person, however, they had their engagement in April 2021. Ben Francis is a car and motorcycle enthusiast, and a season ticket holder at Aston Villa. In 2018, Francis was included on a Forbes 30 Under 30 list. He served on the UK Government’s Business Council for Entrepreneurs in 2019. Ben Francis was awarded the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2020.
Ben Francis net worth
How much is Ben Francis worth? Ben Francis is estimated at around £750 million. His main source of income is from his career as a businessman. Francis successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars trips. He is one of the richest and influential people in the United Kingdom.