«The new stage of Hi-Tec reveals excellent opportunities»

Interview with Roberto Fernández, CEO of Hi-Tec Sports Spain

Hi-Tec was acquired at the end of November by Cherokee Global Brands (CGB). This is an operation that will entail a change in the business strategy of this veteran outdoor firm. Hi-Tec Sports Spain, which has been marketing the brand in our country for almost a quarter of a century, has played a relevant role in this new approach, given that this company underwent an important change last year that has marked the main lines of that new approach with which the firm faces its future. Roberto Fernández, general director of Hi-Tec Sports Spain, explains it to us in this interview.

How does Hi-Tec Sports face the new stage?

Since 1992 we have been a subsidiary of Hi-Tec Sports PLC until February 29, 2016, when we became distributors/licensees of the Hi-Tec and Magnum brands for the markets of Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco.

How will the changes in brand ownership affect the Spanish market?

Positively, since this new stage reveals excellent opportunities and therefore we are very optimistic.

Hi-Tec Spain has had its influence in shaping the firm's new business model. Is it so?

Yes. In fact, Hi-Tec Spain was the first subsidiary of the group to separate from Hi-Tec Sports PLC and became the exclusive distributor/licensee of the Hi-Tec and Magnum brands. We signed this change in February 2016. Cherokee Global Brands has now decided to convert the Hi-Tec business model, where subsidiaries or affiliates existed, into a licensing model that grants rights to manufacture and sell Hi-Tec and Magnum footwear for men, women and children, as well as other outdoor products with these brands (clothing, accessories, etc.).

Will they now have greater capacity to develop and manufacture their own collections?

Possessing the license of the Hi-Tec and Magnum Brands obviously opens up a range of possibilities that we will surely explore. Our intention is to continue working on the global footwear collection that improves every year and incorporates very interesting novelties and add those products that are demanded by our users in the markets that we manage.

Will they incorporate textiles and accessories into their collections?

Yes. We are focused on offering Hi-Tec users everything they may require to enjoy the outdoors. We have the heritage of the brand and the value of the presence of the Hi-Tec brand in the outdoor world for more than 40 years. To this we must add the attractive opportunities of having CGB to develop and grow in new product lines such as accessories, clothing and outdoor products.

Have they definitively dismissed other non-outdoor lines?

No. Obviously our main objective is to expand our business with Hi-Tec, but we are not closed to incorporating other products into our portfolio that may be interesting in the markets we represent.

Is it possible that Hi-Tec Spain incorporates new markets in the future?

We have the markets of Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco and there are no plans, at the moment, for Hi-Tec Spain to handle other countries.

What are the aspects that the retailer should take into account the most when assessing their relationship with Hi-Tec?

We have always proven to be a solid company, concerned about offering customers and users our full support. We provide correct products for both, in terms of quality and price, and we offer them the guarantee that we will always be on their side.

Access the complete interview in Diffusion Sport nº 488