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United Kingdom Ben Francis is recognized as the co-founder, CEO, and majority owner of the global sportswear brand Gymshark, a company he started from his parents' garage.
Ben Francis founded Gymshark in 2012 at age 19. The company, initially selling fitness supplements, pivoted to manufacturing its own fitness apparel. It grew through strategic partnerships with fitness influencers and social media engagement. In 2020, a 21% stake was sold to General Atlantic, valuing the company at $1.45 billion. Francis retains a 70% ownership.
Gymshark partnered with Al Tayer Group for the opening of its first permanent store outside the UK in the Dubai Mall.
Gymshark collaborated with RAD Global on its first venture into footwear.
Gymshark sold a 21% stake to the private equity firm General Atlantic in August 2020, in a deal valuing the company at $1.45 billion. This partnership was selected based on cultural fit and potential to amplify Gymshark's growth, particularly in APAC expansion.
Gymshark partnered with Selfridges for a collaboration, which extended the brand's reach and presence in a prominent retail environment.
Benjamin David Francis was born in the West Midlands, England in 1992. His early business interests included an online company selling car number plates. He developed two fitness applications, Fat Loss Abs Guide and iPhysique, before establishing Gymshark. During his university studies at Aston University for international business and management, from which he later dropped out in 2012, Francis worked part-time delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut.
Francis co-founded Gymshark in 2012 at the age of 19 with his friend Lewis Morgan, initially selling fitness supplements. The business soon pivoted to apparel, with Francis using a screen printer and sewing machine from his parents’ garage in Bromsgrove. A key turning point occurred in 2013 when a tracksuit exhibited at the BodyPower fitness trade show went viral on Facebook, generating significant sales within a short period. This success allowed him to leave university and his Pizza Hut job to dedicate himself fully to Gymshark. The company expanded its reach through early adoption of social media influencer marketing, collaborating with fitness personalities to promote its products.
In 2015, Francis stepped down as CEO to take on roles as chief marketing, brand, and product officer, a strategic move to bring in experienced leadership and focus on his own development. He returned to the CEO position in August 2021. Under his leadership, Gymshark established a new headquarters in Solihull in 2018 and has consistently featured on The Sunday Times Fast Track list since 2016. In August 2020, a deal with private equity firm General Atlantic valued Gymshark at over £1 billion, securing Francis’s position as a majority owner with a stake exceeding 70%. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for his contributions to the business sector and made his debut on Forbes’s ‘The World’s Billionaires’ list in April 2023.
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