Hi-Tec Sports was founded by our Chairman Frank Van Wezel in 1974. Born in Vlissingen, The Netherlands, Frank’s success began early on in life. He graduated with honours from Nyenrode Business University, despite being the youngest in his year, before fulfilling his National Service obligations as a Lieutenant in the Dutch Air Force. Upon leaving the Air Force, Frank worked and studied in London a
nd Paris, after which he lived in East Africa for 10 years. Eventually, Frank transferred to Essex in England where his love of squash and tennis led to his involvement in the sports shoe industry. He was instrumental in the introduction of the first specialist squash shoe which subsequently led to the creation of Hi-Tec Sports PLC. From humble beginnings in 1974, the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in June 1988. Feeling stifled by the demands of the short-term profit goals of being a public company, Frank decided to privatise Hi-Tec Sports in 2000.
40 years on, Hi-Tec Sports now enjoys worldwide recognition as being one of the world leaders in sports and outdoor footwear, with distribution in approximately 100 countries and subsidiary companies in UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany and the Benelux. The company currently employs approximately 400 employees and generates global sales of more than US$250 million. And the best is yet to come!
