Structural change in the Hof economy
The city of Hof has successfully completed a long period of structural change in economic terms. Today, Hof is a modern, competence-oriented business location with forward-looking concepts.
Above all, the structural change has resulted in the replacement of the textile industry as the leading economic sector with a diverse economic profile with three key areas of expertise: water and environmental technology, logistics and IT logistics and materials/automotive supply. The highly developed, internationally leading textile industry, particularly in the field of technical textiles, is an important economic sector in Hof, but is no longer dominant. Hof and the region now have a much broader base, research and development play an important role and Hof University of Applied Sciences plays a key role. In connection with the university, there is another topic of great importance for the city of Hof: digitalization. While IT and digitalization used to be cross-sectional technologies, in recent years they have become an important growth driver in their own right in Germany and Europe, which Hof is consistently pursuing with new, independent business models.
Today, the city of Hof has around 25,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions, of which around 70% are in the service sector.
Digital start-up center "Einstein1"
The digital start-up center "Einstein1" combines IT technology and digital start-ups. Many existing companies have this topic at the top of their agenda.
The city of Hof has not only set the course for this in good time, but has also developed and implemented its own strategies for the transition to the digitalized market as a pioneer: The city of Hof was the first Bavarian city to employ its own blogger, who regularly posted articles about Hof retailers on the ever-growing portal www.einkaufen-in-hof.de. The digitalization of the shopping city of Hof is being driven forward by advertising on Google Ads.
Cultural and creative industries
The City of Hof's economic development department also has attractive offers for the many freelance creative professionals in the city of Hof and the entire region. In cooperation with the economic development agencies of the districts of Hof and Wunsiedel, events are regularly offered to support, network and bring together groups and institutions, as well as individuals, who are active in the cultural and creative industries. "With these events, we not only want to promote established culture, but also bring together creative people from all over Upper Franconia. There are so many gems here - you just have to find them!" says business promoter Walter Friedl. One important event is the Creative Lounge, which is organized once a year by the city of Hof, the district of Hof and the district of Wunsiedel together with the digital start-up center Einstein1. Here, you can talk about your own creative ideas in a relaxed atmosphere, listen to exciting short presentations, network with others and gather new ideas.
