Hoff: The Colorful Sneaker Empire Continues to Soar
Fran Marchena, the founder of Hoff and its vibrant sneakers, has seen rapid success in his life. At the age of 41, everything seems to be moving at lightning speed for him, including his speech. Since its establishment in 2016, Hoff has experienced exponential growth, doubling or tripling its revenue every year. But before diving into the staggering numbers, let’s get to know the man behind it all, who conceived and created the company as a hobby.
Fran Marchena was born in Elche, a renowned shoemaking region in Spain, where his father owned a shoe factory. His childhood dream was to work in his father’s factory, but unfortunately, it closed down when he was studying marketing at ESIC in Valencia. He completed his degree in 2006, just as the financial crisis hit. Coupled with the fact that marketing wasn’t highly regarded in Spain at the time, he found himself working at Banco Santander for 10 years. “I was promoted annually, which doesn’t allow you to leave,” he reflects. However, this experience provided him with a deep understanding of the financial aspects of building a company, as he considers himself more of a creative individual.
Marchena has built not just a company but an empire, selling 900,000 pairs of sneakers in the last year alone. Despite his modesty, he attributes their success to doing things right. He claims there is no secret or magic wand, but rather three key factors: having a strong team, ambition, and belief in the project and product. “We have expanded rapidly: opening 40 markets in just three years, establishing 20 stores in a year and a half, experiencing significant growth online, and internationalizing at a rapid pace. We have also created numerous product categories very quickly,” he adds.
Everything moves at a rapid pace in Fran Marchena’s world, including his mind. It’s evident when speaking with him, as he is completely focused on each response. He effortlessly shares impressive figures that would make anyone proud: €46.5 million in revenue in the last campaign, double the previous year’s amount. They have stores in Spain and abroad, and every year since their inception, they have doubled or tripled their revenue. In 2023, they aim to achieve a 35% increase, with a realistic goal of reaching €100 million by 2025.
One might assume that this ambitious entrepreneur knows no limits, but Marchena denies this. He believes he has found a kind of Holy Grail and wants to make the most of it. “I don’t see myself as an ambitious person in the sense of wanting to generate more revenue. I believe we have a unique project and product, and we need to capitalize on that. From there, we’ll see how far we can go,” he says.
According to Marchena, growth can be reckless or sustainable, and he leans towards the latter. “We’re talking about growth with common sense, where the brand feels comfortable and everything makes sense,” he explains. He emphasizes that one of their greatest strengths is being profitable from day one, which is why they haven’t needed external funding or assistance, apart from the banks. “The word isn’t ambition; it’s common sense and leveraging the project,” he adds.
Their sustainable growth plan includes opening 15 stores in Spain, with a recently inaugurated store in Paris, their first international location. They plan to strengthen their presence further by opening another store on Regent Street in London, followed by Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto. “All our stores are profitable and help consumers understand the Hoff universe. They provide a user experience, image, and position us alongside relevant brands,” Marchena explains.
In terms of product expansion, they have moved beyond sneakers to accessories and are also considering venturing into clothing. Marchena acknowledges that these steps are not easy, but he is confident in his decisions. “The most challenging part is already done: making people aware of Hoff as a brand. Once they understand and like it, it becomes much easier to launch other products. Accessories make perfect sense, although it took us some time to find our DNA. We’re also making small forays into clothing, but our core will always be sneakers. The idea is to transition from a single-product brand to a lifestyle brand with a broad universe,” he reveals.
Despite being a formidable competitor, Marchena faces off against giants like Adidas, Vans, and Nike with confidence. He believes Hoff stands out due to its originality. “Who is our competition? Anyone who makes sneakers. But people who buy from us value creativity and authenticity. They appreciate our product’s quality, price, design, and comfort. One of our greatest successes is finding the right balance between all these elements that make someone decide to buy our sneakers,” he asserts.
Listening to Marchena, one might think he is full of himself, that he believes in his own success. However, he quickly dispels this notion and shares one of the company’s mantras: “work hard, stay humble.” He reaffirms that he hasn’t accomplished anything yet and still feels like the brand is in its embryonic phase. “We have a lot of growing to do. Success is fleeting, and one shouldn’t believe in it. Instead, we should work hard and enjoy the project. There are no egos; stars have no place within the team,” he concludes.
For Fran Marchena, the team is the magical word that represents 100% of their success, including himself. He recognizes the importance of new leadership styles and firmly believes that banging one’s fist on the table doesn’t work. With 220 employees, Hoff continues to thrive under Marchena’s guidance, driven by a shared vision and a commitment to excellence.Fran Marchena, el “mago” detrás de la exitosa marca de zapatillas Hoff, ha logrado un crecimiento exponencial desde que fundó la empresa en 2016. A sus 41 años, Marchena ha visto cómo su negocio ha doblado o triplicado su facturación cada año desde su inicio.
Nacido en Elche, una ciudad conocida por su industria zapatera, Marchena siempre soñó con trabajar en la fábrica de zapatos de su padre. Sin embargo, la fábrica cerró cuando él estaba estudiando marketing en Valencia, lo que lo llevó a buscar otras oportunidades. Después de 10 años en el Banco Santander, donde fue ascendiendo anualmente, Marchena decidió emprender su propio camino y fundó Hoff.
El éxito de Hoff ha sido impresionante. En el último año, la marca vendió 900,000 pares de zapatillas y generó una facturación de 46.5 millones de euros, el doble que el año anterior. Marchena atribuye este éxito a tres factores clave: tener un buen equipo, mucha ambición y creer en el proyecto y el producto.
A pesar de su rápido crecimiento, Marchena se enfoca en un crecimiento sostenible y en aprovechar al máximo el potencial de la marca. Hoff ha abierto 40 mercados en tres años, ha inaugurado 20 tiendas en año y medio y ha experimentado un gran crecimiento en línea. Además, la marca está explorando la posibilidad de expandirse a otras categorías de productos, como accesorios y ropa.
En un mercado competitivo dominado por gigantes internacionales como Adidas, Nike y Vans, Marchena destaca la originalidad de Hoff como su principal ventaja. La marca se enfoca en la creatividad, la autenticidad y la calidad de sus productos para atraer a
How does Marchena plan to expand Hoff’s presence in terms of stores and product offerings while maintaining the brand’s core focus on sneakers
Hoff: The Colorful Sneaker Empire Continues to Thrive
The vibrant sneaker brand Hoff, founded by Fran Marchena, has experienced unprecedented success since its establishment in 2016. Marchena, a man with a rapid speech and an even more rapid rise to success, has seen his company’s revenue double or triple every year. But before delving into the astounding numbers, let’s get to know the man behind the brand, who turned his hobby into a thriving business.
Marchena was born in Elche, a well-known region for shoemaking in Spain, where his father owned a shoe factory. His childhood dream was to work in his father’s factory, but unfortunately, it closed when he was studying marketing at ESIC in Valencia. After completing his degree in 2006, during the financial crisis, he found himself working at Banco Santander for a decade. Despite his marketing background, this banking experience provided him with valuable insights into the financial aspects of running a company. Marchena considers himself more of a creative individual.
Today, Marchena has built not just a company but an empire, with Hoff selling an impressive 900,000 pairs of sneakers in the last year alone. He attributes their success to three key factors: a strong team, ambition, and belief in the project and product. Marchena highlights their rapid expansion, opening 40 markets in just three years and establishing 20 stores in a year and a half. They have also experienced significant growth online and have created numerous product categories quickly.
Success comes at a rapid pace in Marchena’s world, evident from his focused mindset and impressive figures. In the last campaign, Hoff generated €46.5 million in revenue, double the previous year’s amount. They aim to achieve a 35% increase in revenue by 2023, with a realistic goal of reaching €100 million by 2025.
Despite his achievements, Marchena does not consider himself an overly ambitious person. He sees Hoff as a unique project and product, and his focus is on capitalizing on that uniqueness rather than generating more revenue. He believes in sustainable growth, one that aligns with the brand’s values and feels comfortable.
Hoff’s sustainable growth plan includes opening 15 stores in Spain, with their first international store recently inaugurated in Paris. They plan to further strengthen their presence by opening stores in London, Brussels, Lisbon, and Porto. In terms of product expansion, Hoff has moved beyond sneakers to accessories and is considering venturing into clothing. Marchena acknowledges the challenges but is confident in the brand’s ability to expand its product offerings while staying true to its core focus on sneakers.
When it comes to competition, Marchena confidently faces off against industry giants like Adidas, Vans, and Nike. He believes that Hoff stands out due to its originality. Customers who choose Hoff value creativity, authenticity, quality, price, design, and comfort.
Despite his success, Marchena remains humble and attributes the company’s triumphs to hard work and humility. He recognizes that there is still a long way to go and that success is fleeting. For Marchena, the team is at the center of their accomplishments, and he emphasizes the importance of staying grounded and avoiding egos
