Hi-Tec Sports is implementing the next step of its five-year restructuring plan. To date, the company’s initiatives have been quite successful, with average selling prices climbing, a new U.S. based factory, considerable gains in the golf category, several product extensions in the outdoor category, and 6% sales growth for 2005.

Now, after the company’s third consecutive year of growth, Hi-Tec Sports PLC has formed separate global divisions for Hi-Tec and Magnum, which was formerly considered a division of Hi-Tec.

The Hi-Tec division will be run by Tony Linford, formerly in charge of Hi-Tec Sports PLC’s Group Marketing. The Magnum division will be headed up by Paul Brooks, who will leave his position as president & CEO of Hi-Tec’s North American subsidiary and return to the U.K. to fulfill this promotion.

Two positions have been created in the North American subsidiary to replace Mr. Brooks. The president/CEO role is divided into two executive leadership focuses: sales and operations. Bill Berta will continue to head up sales for North America (Hi-Tec Sports USA), including Canada and the recently-acquired Magnum factory in Maine. Berta re-joined Hi-Tec in October after more than four years running footwear at Columbia Sportswear. He was NSM at Hi-Tec from 1990 to 1995.

Bob Kaiser has been appointed to run North American operations, reporting to Hi-Tec Sports PLC’s new CFO Mike Nevin.

SEW spoke with Mr. Brooks shortly after the restructuring was announced. He said Berta and Kaiser will be jointly in charge of Hi-Tec and Magnum brands in the U.S. Brooks said that the brands will be run separately from a corporate standpoint, but they have not separated the brands in the individual markets. However, Brooks did say that operating Hi-Tec and Magnum as two separate entities is a longer term goal for the company. This new structure will also give the company the ability to place more emphasis on business development at their newly acquired Maine factory, where U.S. postal, fire, and military product can be produced.

Hi-Tec’s European and International divisions will see similar structures. European sales will be managed by David Goulding. Ian Tripcony will run European operations. Peter Lawson will continue to run the International distributor and licensee business. Also reporting to Nevin, and in charge of the new function of group sourcing, will be Duncan Patmore. Completing the company’s global leadership team is Nick de Haaff, who has been appointed to the position of group treasurer, responsible for centralizing the company’s finances.