Hobbs is popularly associated with clothing priced in the mid range for a customer base that is largely middle-aged and older.
[3] Hobbs was established in Hampstead in 1981 by Yoram and Marilyn Anselm, targeting the "average woman between the ages of 20 and 40 interested in clothing".
This was expanded to include international customers in 2013 and Hobbs now delivers to 55 countries, with websites serving Australia, Germany and the US.
In 2013 it was rumoured that the company would be sold, after it employed consultants from Price Waterhouse Coopers and began planning a launch of the brand in China.
In 1994, the company purchased The Italian Shoe Factory in Porto San Giorgio, a seaside town on the Adriatic coast of Italy traditionally associated with shoe-making.