Ben Francis Is Alive

ORIGIN
Ben Francis is an English entrepreneur and fitness expert. He’s the founder and current Chief Brand Officer of Gymshark Ltd. The company launched in 2012, with him serving as CEO until 2017. Francis was born on June 6, 1992, in England. He attended Aston University, where he majored in business and management. He dropped out his sophomore year to focus on his business.

Prior to Gymshark, Francis experimented with creating different websites and iPhone apps. His first functional website sold license plates. He created 4 iPhone apps, 2 of which were geared towards fitness. He created a social media website that showed promise but failed due to low traffic.

CAREER
Francis co-founded ‘Gymshark’ out of his parent’s garage in 2012. He was only 19 at the time. He delivered pizza at night to help fund the effort. The other founding member was Lewis Morgan, a fellow Aston student. Gymshark specializes in fitted workout apparel (t-shirts, vests, hoodies, running jackets, etc) and accessories (backpacks, phone cases, skipping ropes, foam rollers, water bottles, gift cards, etc). It was dubbed the fastest-growing sportswear company in the UK in 2016. The company’s sales have more than doubled from 2017 to 2018.

Gymshark started out selling health supplements online. That approach failed because they were making little to no profit. Switching to fitted gym clothing opened up a world of opportunities. Initially, Francis hand-sewed his products and screen printed his own logos. He learned the art of sewing from his grandmother. Another vital step was the use of social media influencers to promote his brand. The Gymshark Instagram boasts 2.6+ million followers. They have another 1.5+ million fans across Twitter and Facebook.

Gymshark crossed the $300,000 USD milestone in 2014. At that point, Francis dropped out of Aston University to focus on the company full-time. Gymshark was headquartered in Redditch before moving to Solihull (42,000 square feet). They operate in 10 international markets and employ more than 500 workers. The Gymshark team consists of innovators, designers, athletes, and artists. Their hired brand ambassadors are called “Gymshark Athletes.” Another key element to Gymshark’s success is its ability to re-invest profit back into the company.

Frances served as Chief Executive Officer from 2012 to 2017. His current title is that of Chief Brand Officer. The role of CEO was passed on to Steve Hewitt. Hewitt joined the Gymshark team back in 2015 as a management consultant. He was later promoted to managing director and now he’s CEO. Hewitt has worked with brands like Adidas and Reebok.

PERSONAL
Ben Francis stands 6ft 2in tall and he’s very athletic. His net worth is estimated at $1 billion. Gymshark made more than $120 million in sales for 2018, up from $50 million in 2017. The company was valued at $1.45 billion in 2020.
Francis currently resides in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He’s in a relationship with Canadian fitness model Robin Gallant. Robin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

Ben Francis Bio, Net Worth, Height