About Hot Topic
Hot Topic is a company based in San Jose (United States) founded in 1988 was acquired by Sycamore Partners in March 2013. Hot Topic has completed 1 acquisition, including Her Universe.
- Headquarter San Jose, United States
- Website category Lifestyle · Fashion and Apparel
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website hottopic.com/homepage
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Sycamore Partners (Mar 2013)
- Investors
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired bySycamore Partners
(Mar 2013)
Apps and channels of Hot Topic
Hot Topic publishes 1 mobile app with over 1M+ downloads.
Investors in Hot Topic
Hot Topic has secured backing from 1 investor, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Sycamore Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity investments are directed toward retail and consumer sectors. | 2011 | sycamorepartners.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Hot Topic
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Hot Topic
207 people are tracked at Hot Topic (44 in leadership, 163 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Steve Vranes | CEO | Leadership |
Joseph Royster | Senior Director Of Operations | Leadership |
Michael Yerkes | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Eric Gephart | Vice President Of Logistics And Distribution | Leadership |
Ed Gusman | Vice President Store Operations | Leadership |
Winnie J. | Vice President, Licensing Strategy And Partnerships For Hot Topic, Boxlunch, Her Universe | Leadership |
Amy Bartram | Director Of Operations | Leadership |
Dan Adams | Director Of Operations | Leadership |
Katherine Hernandez Miller | Director, Social Media | Leadership |
Dan Sowers | Senior Director Operations | Leadership |
Mark M. Lu | Director Of Ecommerce Planning And Digital Marketing | Leadership |
Andrea Lewis | Vice President, Marketing | Leadership |
Ed Labay | Executive Vice President Merchandise, Marketing, Licensing, Product Development And Design | Leadership |
Cynthia Park | Director Of Product Development/production | Leadership |
Sharon Hacker | Vice President, Product Development And Design | Leadership |
Eric Kearney | Director Of Digital Products | Leadership |
Jen Paek | Director Of DTR Accessories/non Apparel - Design/pd/production At Hot Topic | Leadership |
Frank Rodriguez | Director Of Technical Design Hot Topic/boxlunch & Her Universe Licensing Product | Leadership |
Eduardo Garcia | Creative Director | Leadership |
Symantha Perrera | Design Director | Leadership |
187 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Hot Topic
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by Hot Topic
Hot Topic has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Her Universe.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-category women's fashion products are retailed online. | heruniverse.com | La Vergne, United States | 2010 | Oct 2016 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Hot Topic
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Hot Topic
3 dated milestones of Hot Topic across 28 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Hot Topic is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Sycamore Partners.
- Acquisition Acquires Her Universe.
Web traffic of Hot Topic
The website of Hot Topic (hottopic.com) receives about 11M visits a month and ranks #2,331 among all websites worldwide, #82 in Fashion and Apparel.
- Monthly visits11M
▼ 31.9% vs previous month
- Unique visitors6.5M
per month
- Global rank#2,331
among all websites
- Category rank#82
Lifestyle · Fashion and Apparel
- Bounce rate40%
- Pages per visit6.7
- Average visit4 min 29 sec
- DevicesDesktop 17% · Mobile 83%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Hot Topic. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| urbanoutfitters.com | 100% | 22M | #1,572 | View details | |
| pacsun.com | 97% | 12.2M | #1,938 | View details | |
| torrid.com | 92% | 9M | #4,213 | View details | |
| forever21.com | 88% | 1.1M | #35,892 | View details | |
| ae.com | 88% | 21.2M | #1,268 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Hot Topic
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Frequently Asked Questions about Hot Topic
Hot Topic was founded in 1988.
Hot Topic is headquartered in San Jose, United States. It is registered at San Jose, California, United States.
Hot Topic was established in 1988 in San Jose, United States, as a specialty retailer in the apparel sector. Counterculture and music-themed clothing, accessories, and gifts are offered through a network of physical stores and the online domain hottopic.com. Operations emphasize youth-oriented fashion trends, with distribution centered in the United States to serve domestic consumers seeking alternative style products.
Hot Topic has made 1 acquisition, including Her Universe.
Hot Topic has 1 investor. Key investors include Sycamore Partners.
Yes. Hot Topic was acquired by Sycamore Partners in March 2013.
Yes. Hot Topic publishes Hot Topic: Pop Culture Fashion, with over 1 million downloads.
The website of Hot Topic receives about 11 million visits a month and ranks #2,331 among all websites worldwide.