Ben Francis is a British billionaire and entrepreneur. He is the founder, CEO, and majority owner of Gymshark, a fitness equipment and accessories company founded in 2012. In April 2023, he made his debut on Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list as the 2,259th richest person in the world. In 2018, Francis was included on a Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2019, Francis served on the UK Government’s Business Council for Entrepreneurs. In 2020, Francis was awarded the EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Ben Francis Personal Life
Ben Francis was born on 4 June 1992 in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England to Liz, owner of a furnace company, and Charles Ritchie, owner of a taxi company.
He first became interested in computers after studying information technology at school. His first venture was an online business selling car license plates.
Francis started going to the gym as a teenager. He later said that “the structure, consistency, and work ethic that I found in the gymnasium and that I understood can be applied to different parts of my life and it works.”
Ben Francis Career
Prior to launching Gymshark, Francis developed two fitness apps, Fat Loss Abs Guide and iPhysique. From 2010 to 2013, while studying at university, he worked as a delivery boy at Pizza Hut, earning £5 an hour. He left six months after launching Gymshark.
In 2012, at the age of 19, he launched Gymshark in his parents’ garage with his schoolmate Lewis Morgan. The site originally sold fitness supplements. He couldn’t afford to buy inventory or secure distribution agreements with supplemental suppliers, so he started sourcing from other vendors and it took him six weeks to make his first sale.
Gymshark
Gymshark began as a manufacturer of supplements. In 2013, Francis branched out into nutritional supplements and began designing and selling fitness apparel on the website Gymshark. He began making products in his parents’ garage in Bromsgrove, using a sewing machine and screen printer which he bought with £1,000 in savings. He learned sewing from his grandmother. In 2013, he presented Gymshark products at the BodyPower fitness fair in Birmingham. After the fair ended, the tracksuit went viral on Facebook and sold for £30,000 in 30 minutes. Francis later dropped out of college and quit his job at Pizza Hut to focus on the business full-time. As a startup, Francis marketed the brand in collaboration with social media influencers, including bodybuilders Nikki Blackketter and Lex Griffin.
Gymshark was one of the first brands to make extensive use of social media influencers. In 2015, Francis stepped down as CEO of the company and became Marketing Director, Brand Director and Product Director.[18][19] At the time, he said the move would allow the company to “grow even faster” and give him time to “work on my weaknesses and become a more well-rounded businessman.” In 2018, Gymshark opened a new £5 million headquarters in Solihull, West Midlands. In 2019, Gymshark opened its own branded gym and innovation center. Since 2016, Gymshark has been included in The Sunday Times Fast Track list of fast-growing private companies. The company currently sells products in 131 countries.
In August 2020, Gymshark sold a 21% stake to US private equity firm General Atlantic in a deal valued at over £1 billion. Francis currently owns more than 70% of the company, which is worth £700 million. In August 2021, he returned to the position of CEO of the company. Francis was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to the business sector. In April 2023, he made his debut on Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list as the 2,259th richest person in the world.
Ben Francis Relationship
In April 2021, Francis and his girlfriend Robin Gallant were engaged and married on 9 September 2021. On 8 September 2022, Francis announced that they were expecting twins. Their twin sons were born on 24 December 2022.
Ben Francis Net Worth
Francis has a net worth of $1.3 billion. He owns 70% stakes in Gymshark. In April 2023, he made his debut on Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list as the 2,259th richest person in the world.
Ben Francis Education
Francis graduated from South Bromsgrove High School. In 2010, he studied International Business and Management at Aston University. He said that his university days gave him “a strong foundation to build a business”. He dropped out in 2012 to focus full-time on Gymshark.
Ben Francis Twitter Account
How it started How it’s going pic.twitter.com/1h3vKeVQWq
— Ben Francis MBE (@BenFrancis1992) October 7, 2020
Ben Francis Instagram Account
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Ben Francis Physical Stats
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches or 188 cm |
| Weight | 62 kg |
| Hair Color | Light Brown |
| Eye Color | Black |
Ben Francis Wiki/Bio
| Name | Ben Francis |
| Full Name | Benjamin David Francis |
| Date Of Birth | 4 June 1992 |
| Age | 30 (as of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England |
| Profession | Entrepreneur |
| Nationality | British |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Gender | Female |
| Parents | Liz and Charles Ritchie |
| Siblings | N/A |
| Partner | N/A |
| Spouse | Robin Gallant (m. 2021) |
| Children | Twins |
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