Hi-Tec is one of the world’s leading producers and distributors of sportswear and accessories.
It has come to be a brand name that is well recognised by both professional and amateur athletes as well as in fashionable circles. By effectively bridging the gap between the fashionable and the functional, the brand has managed to attract a wide customer base, and has kept this reputation through a strict adherence to high-quality products and an aggressive commercial strategy.
Over the forty-odd years since its inception, Hi-Tec has grown to generate annual global sales of over $250 million. The story of the Hi-Tec brand begins in the rather appropriately named village of Shoeburyness, a small hamlet in the Essex region.
Developing sportswear trends
Founded there in 1974 by Frank Van Wezel, the company originally started small, but achieved its first major breakthrough with the introduction of the Hi-Tec Squash: an athletic shoe that was ergonomically designed to be ideal for use in the game of squash, which was rapidly growing in popularity in England during that period.
So innovative was the shoe’s design that it quickly became an industry benchmark, and remains so even today, with sales of over eighteen million pairs to date and the prestigious honour of being Britain’s best selling sports shoe of all time. By 1982, Hi-Tec was ready for expansion into the global marketplace, which marked the beginning of the company’s rise to international prominence.