Figures and facts, companies in Hof

Hof’s business structure has changed clearly over the years. Years ago, Hof was an industrial town, but nowadays Hof has turned into a modern business location with a high rate of service companies and new, developing industries. Hof has about 23,300 employees, who are obliged to pay into the social security system (2004). 27.7% of them work in production, 26.8% in trade and traffic and 43.9% in other service areas.

The processing industry with its 49 small and medium-sized companies is still an important basis for Hof’s economy. More than 80% of the firms employ up to 100 people. The total turnover was 579m € in 2003 , with an export share of 28%. The turnover per employee was 117,000 €.

The textile industry is still the strongest. They produce high quality products with high tech in state-of-the-art plants. Especially the field of technical textiles has become an important division.

Innovative and dynamic companies in capital goods industry have contributed to fanning out the production structure. Because of the automotive suppliers’ park new companies in car parts production have emerged and are still emerging.

Cooling cells, underwater pumps, car parts, equipment for clarification plants as well as special steel and light-metal components are manufactured in modern production processes.

In the field of retail Hof is the shopping center of a large region, including the south of Saxony and Thuringia. With a turnover of about 500m € and approx. 600 retail outlets, Hof’s immediate catchment area encloses 200,000 inhabitants. For years Hof has been awarded as the friendliest shopping town in Germany among 70 tested medium-sized towns and cities.

In particular, the field of company-related services show a big increase in Hof. Its infrastructural and logistically favourable situation encourages a lot of investment and set-ups concerning traffic, logistics, distribution and wholesale, which supply the south and middle of Germany and particularly eastern Europe from Hof. Numerous competent and powerful logistics companies are available as partners. Hof has become the logistics location in northern Bavaria over the recent years. But also call-centers and back-offices show a clearly increasing share in staff.