The Spanish shoe brand Hoff is strengthening its corporate structure. In the latest step in this direction, the company announced the appointment of Nicolas de Ros Wallace as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will take over the position from company founder Fran Marchena on May 1st.
With the appointment of the first CEO who does not come from the ownership group, Marchena is driving forward the professionalization of company management. However, Marchena will continue to give Hoff direction. He will now do so as Chairman of the Board of Directors, from where he will continue to be responsible for the brand’s creative direction, vision and long-term strategies.
“Nicolas brings with him strong operational and brand strategy leadership experience, which he acquired at Inditex; at Nike, where he was general manager for the soccer division in Southern Europe and vice president of the Jordan brand for the EMEA region; and most recently as managing director of Canyon Bicycles,” emphasized the Hoff management.
The company is relying on de Ros Wallace to create a decisive new turning point in its ambitions. Hoff wants to establish itself internationally as a leading brand in the industry. “Its mission is clear,” it emphasizes, and includes “accelerating international growth, strengthening brand equity and improving the customer experience in all markets.” His arrival “marks the beginning of a new era” that will be marked by “the emergence of Hoff as a global brand.”
From car salesman to CEO
De Ros Wallace holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and Sales Management from Fundesem Business School in Alicante. He also completed international studies in the United States, where he took an intensive executive course in digital strategy at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. The manager gained his first professional experience for over a year in car sales at a Volkswagen dealer in the Sala Hermanos Group in Alicante.
He then moved to the Spanish fashion group Inditex, where he worked for more than 13 years. There he held various responsible positions, such as product manager for shoes at Pull&Bear. He later rose to global director of shoes for the same brand before taking on the position of global director of women’s shoes and bags at Zara.
After leaving the company in April 2011, Nicolas de Ros Wallace moved to Nike. He stayed with the US sports group for over ten years and also held various management positions. These included Senior Director of the Running Category for Western Europe; that of the General Manager for Football in Southern Europe; and Vice President and General Manager of the Jordan Brand for the EMEA region.
He performed these tasks from the US company’s headquarters in the Netherlands. In March 2022, he left Nike to take over the management of the German company Canyon Bicycles as the new CEO. On April 16, it was announced that he would be replaced in this position by Matthias Meier. Meier will take over the management of the German bicycle manufacturer from May 1, coinciding with the departure of de Ros Wallace and his entry into the management of Hoff.
Hoff is aiming for a sales target of 100 million euros
Hoff was founded in 2016 by Fran Marchena and Luis Miguel Botella. Since Botella’s exit from the project in 2022, the company has been solely controlled by Marchena. In late 2024, it was announced that Marchena had sold a stake in Luxembourg-based private equity fund Rahco Capital to accelerate the company’s growth.
After this transaction, Marchena remained Hoff’s main shareholder with over 85 percent of the capital. This partnership formed the starting point for various internationalization strategies. This includes the appointment of David Tourniaire-Beauciel as design director, the collaboration with Alexa Chung as the face of the brand and the opening of new, representative stores in Madrid and Amsterdam.
Despite these measures, Hoff’s short and medium-term growth targets were maintained. The management had set itself the goal of achieving sales of 100 million euros by 2025. This ambitious goal was ultimately postponed. It seems clear that Nicolas de Ros Wallace will work towards this in his new position as CEO.
Hoff closed the last financial year 2025 with sales of around 77 million euros, a growth of 16.67 percent compared to 2024. At the end of the 2025 financial year, Hoff was present in more than 20 markets. The company’s own sales network included 26 stores, seven of which were abroad and 19 in Spain, as well as 18 corners in various countries. These structures are supplemented by sales via multi-brand stores and the online channel.
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