Born in 1847 in the village of Tuttwil (now part of Wängi, Canton Thurgau), at the age of 23 Hoepli moved to Milan to take over the family's bookshop in Galleria De Cristoforis, a shopping mall built in 1832 between Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Monte Napoleone in the centre of the city.

Following an urban development plan, the gallery was demolished in 1931 and replaced by new buildings where the Hoepli bookshop was given a spot in the same area where it was originally located.

With over 500,000 book titles spread over six floors, Hoepli has established itself as one of Europe's largest bookstores.

The company has subsequently specialized in technical and scientific publications, dictionaries, manuals and instructional books.

The arrival at the presidency of Giovanni Hoepli, son of Ulrico Carlo, directs the catalog more and more towards technology, textbooks, school and university publishing.