Hi-Tec Sports, trading as Hi-Tec, is a privately held producer and distributor of

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical sport-specific garments ...

and accessories, headquartered in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

History

Hi-Tec Sports was founded in 1974, in Shoeburyness, Essex, England, by Frank Van Wezel. The company moved its headquarters to

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

, before relocating its head office to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. Hi-Tec Sports USA was started in Modesto, CA in 1978 by Duke and Kathy Jones. They developed the first lightweight hiking boot. This became the main success of Hi-Tec Sports USA. They also developed and named the "Magnum" boot. Duke and Kathy Jones sold Hi-Tec Sports USA to Frank Van Wezel in 1990. In 1988, the company was floated on the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...

. Frank van Wezel bought the company back in 2000. It was privately held through 2013. Production was in China until 2005, when Hi-Tec acquired the Falcon shoe factory in Lewiston, Maine, enabling them to offer made-in-usa branded products and compete for US Federal government contracts. In 2013, Hi-Tec founder and chairman Frank van Wezel, was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration by

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin in ...

. In 2016, it was acquired by Cherokee Inc., later known as Apex Global Brands.

Awards

In 2012, Hi-Tec's V-Lite Altitude Ultra Luxe boot received a Which? Best Buy Walking Boot award. Hi-Tec's ZUUK trainer shoe was awarded Footwear Product of the Year 2013 at The Great Outdoors Awards. The UK based Hi-Tec office was announced Sports Footwear Brand of the Year 2014 and Outdoor Footwear Company of the Year 2013 at the Footwear Industry Awards.

References

{{Authority control Shoe brands Shoe companies of the Netherlands Shoe companies of the United Kingdom Sporting goods manufacturers of the Netherlands Sportswear brands Clothing companies established in 1974 1974 establishments in England Manufacturing companies based in Amsterdam Outdoor clothing brands Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange