The global footwear and sportswear label, Hi-Tec, was on Tuesday evening re-launched into the Zimbabwean market at a function held at Hillside Dams in Bulawayo.
The new holders of the franchise in Zimbabwe said the label, with over 15 styles already in the market locally, was now available in numerous shops in Harare and Bulawayo.
François van der Zee, one of the directors of Slasto Trading (Private) Limited, the company that holds the licence to distribute Hi-Tec products in Zimbabwe, said they will support retailers of the brand.
“This used to be a popular brand in the country but because of the economic hardships of the past, it just disappeared. We are re-launching the brand in Zimbabwe. As the economy is recovering, there is a market now.
“There are two shops retailing the brand in Bulawayo currently and there are three retailers in Harare who are selling the brand. More retailers will be coming on board. We will support retailers in marketing this product,” he said.
Van der Zee said there are over 270 style ranges of the product and at the moment they cannot bring all of them into Zimbabwe.
“We currently have about 15 styles in the market. New orders of another 25 styles have been placed by numerous traders.
“The shoes are manufactured in industries in Vietnam, Taiwan and South Korea. The headquarters of Hi-Tec are however in the United Kingdom. We bring the products through South Africa; however, we do not pay double duty to get them to Zimbabwe. This will affect the price in that the difference between the price here and in South Africa will be small,” he said.
