Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Acquires Sports One Adding to its Premier Line Up of Sports Nutrition Brands

NORCROSS, Ga., July 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals ("Hi-Tech"), a leading global provider of Sports Nutrition, Weight loss products, and Contract Manufacturing services, and Sports One® Inc. ("Sports One"), one of the oldest Sports Nutrition and Weight Loss brands in the United States, today announced that Hi-Tech has acquired Sports One's brand of Sports Nutrition products and Diet Aids. The transaction will continue to bolster Hi-Tech's leading Sports Nutrition and Weight Loss arsenal and expand its position as the leader in Diet & Energy products in the United States. 

When Sports One® was established in 1990, and over the years, Sports One®  has led the nutritional supplement industry in price, quality and innovation. Sports One®  is committed to introducing new, effective, and "state-of-the-art" high-performance sports supplements. Supplements that are backed by science and based on the concept of enhancing metabolic pathways to increase mental and physical performance. Sports One® was born out of the need for a quality, no-nonsense line of nutritional supplements designed for elite athletes. Unable to find products that met their standards in the early 90's, the company's founders created Sports One®, with the goal of developing unsurpassed nutritional formulas to meet the demands of hardcore, competitive athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Sports One® has been providing high-quality sports nutrition products to professional bodybuilders, elite athletes and fitness enthusiasts for over 25 years. Sports One®  has helped pioneer a sports-specific approach to athletes' and bodybuilders nutrition. The acquisition of the Sports One® brand of Diet & Energy Aids and Sports Nutrition products accelerates Hi-Tech's growth strategy, substantially boosts our Weight Loss portfolio and diversifies our business stream," stated Hi-Tech, President and CEO Jared Wheat. "We believe this strategic transaction will enhance our industry-leading Weight Loss and Sports Nutrition position by expanding market opportunities. We manufactured products for Sports One® until around the middle of 2009 when they began doing their own manufacturing. Therefore, we are very familiar with the brand and believe we can add a lot of innovation back into the line." Wheat continued, "Our strong operational structure and aggressive acquisition strategies have enabled the continued growth of our Sports Nutrition and Weight Loss business and will increase profit margins due to ability to bring the production of Innovative products to our industry-leading manufacturing facilities."

As a leading provider of premium Weight Loss and Bodybuilding products in the sports nutrition category, Sports One's brands align with the company's continued focus on Sports Supplements, while further diversifying the Hi-Tech portfolio. Innovative produces Amphedrine®, Andro-XS, Better Whey, and Solid Mass- some of the top Diet & Energy and Sports Nutrition Aids in the industry, which will continue to bolster our Diet & Energy portfolio such as: Fastin®, Lipodrene®, Stimerex-ES®, Bulasterone®,  Anavar®, Dianabol®, Ionamin®, Lean EFX®,  Black Widow®, NitroPro®, and HydroxyElite®.

For over two decades, Sports One® has researched, developed and sold the highest quality, no-nonsense products that cover all the bases of Sports supplementation. There are No misleading celebrity endorsements, and the product costs are low. Consumers get the highest quality products and best value. Sports One® products have been used throughout the United States and in over 90 countries worldwide.

Over the years, Sports One® has led the nutritional supplement industry in price, quality and is amongst the leaders with product innovation. Sports One®  has also built lasting and profitable relationships with their private label customers, which is something Sports One began offering about 6 years ago. "This will tie in nicely with Hi-Tech's goals and growth and offer Sports One private label customers many more option due to our massive manufacturing platform," said Wheat.

Brandon Schopp, Vice-President of Contract manufacturing with Hi-Tech, commented, "Hi-Tech's impeccable reputation for pharmaceutical-grade quality, strong innovation and manufacturing expertise make it a perfect complement to Sports One's brand of diet products. Additionally, having access to our extensive production capabilities across a variety of product formats such as energy shots and ready-to-drink beverages, and being able to offer our customers access to manufacturing and distribution facilities in Atlanta, Georgia and Reedsville, Pennsylvania is a significant competitive advantage." The acquisition, in combination with an expansive capital investment program, will create world-class formulation, product development and production capabilities across in excess of  400,000 square feet of manufacturing space.  "Compliance and enforcement have raised the bar for manufacturers, and this merger creates a top-tiered company with an incredible manufacturing scale and capabilities in an otherwise fragmented segment of the market. Hi-Tech and its Sports Nutrition brands will be a one-stop shop for Sports Nutrition stores," said Schopp.

"Sports One® products will serve as a growth catalyst for our Sports Supplement segment, providing this division with another leading brand in the high-growth sports nutrition category," said Steve Smith, Executive Vice President at Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. "The acquisition of Sports One® expands our offerings of mainstream, weight loss and sports nutrition products, including protein-rich foods, and broadens our appeal with younger consumers." said Smith.

"Hi-Tech remains true to the principals that the company was built on - innovation, quality and consistency, and will always be dedicated to ensuring that these principals remain uncompromised. Hi-Tech will continue to provide the finest-quality, innovative, science-based Sports Nutritional supplements and Diet & Energy Aids," says Wheat.

Other nutrition companies looking to increase scale, revenue, market share, and competitive advantage have also been active with mergers and acquisitions. Hi-Tech has been able to increase its market share in the United States through the acquisition of Florida-based Synergy Nutritional Industries in 2005, and gained a larger market share when it acquired Advanced Performance Supplements ("APS") in 2011. Hi-Tech gained further industry dominance when it acquired Nittany Pharmaceuticals in Pennsylvania and ALR Industries in California in 2012. Hi-Tech's recent strategy has been, and according to its leaders will continue to be, growth through M&A activity. In 2015, Hi-Tech has acquired Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Nutritionals, FormuTech Nutrition, Innovative Laboratories and with the most recent acquisition by Hi-Tech of Sports One® it is the fourth acquisition for Hi-Tech and will not be the last of the year.

About Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals

Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals (https://www.hitechpharma.com/index.htm) is a leading Sports Nutrition manufacturer. Since 1979, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its sister company, Hi-Tech Nutraceuticals, LLC. have been providing quality custom manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical, dietary supplement and beverage industries. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is a cGMP certified company that operates out of Four (4) US Production facilities and (2) Warehouses, totally over 400,000 sq. ft. The two Georgia based production facilities are both located outside Atlanta  in the Norcross and Suwanee Advanced Technology areas. Hi-Tech also has Two (2) facilities located outside State College, Pennsylvania. Hi-Tech holds a Drug Manufacturing License issued by the State of Pennsylvania Food and Drug Branch and is registered as a Food and Drug Establishment with the FDA in Pennsylvania.

Hi-Tech's acquisition of Nittany immediately doubled Hi-Tech's solid dose and powder square footage. The former Nittany facility is a 130,000 sq. ft. modern facility and was a full-service contract manufacturer that enjoyed continuous growth over the past 36 years in the nutrition and pharmaceutical industry. Another advantage of buying Nittany Pharmaceuticals was their intimate knowledge of liquid products. In 2008 Nittany purchased a 70,000-square-foot facility, which was a former Dean Foods facility in Bellville, Pennsylvania to add to their already growing liquid dietary supplements and beverages. As industry's leading energy drink manufacturers for nearly over a decade, Nittany had the knowledge, experience and resources necessary to create Hot & Cold fill liquid drinks from 8 ounce to 32 ounces. "Hi-Tech had never been a beverage contract manufacturing company or handled many liquid products until the acquisition of Nittany. Now with the acquisition of Nittany - Hi-Tech is able to provide a full service of beverage co-packing services, including research and development, raw material procurement, product development, bottle filling, finished packaging, warehousing, and much more," said Wheat.

Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is a leading global healthcare supplier that develops, manufactures and distributes over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription pharmaceuticals, nutritional products, and consumer products. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is one of the world's leading generics and branded pharmaceutical companies, providing products to customers throughout the world. The company maintains one of the industry's broadest and highest quality product portfolios, which is regularly bolstered by an innovative and robust product pipeline. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals has attained leading positions in key international markets through its wide array of dosage forms and delivery systems, significant manufacturing capacity, global commercial scale and a committed focus on quality and customer service. The company ranks among the top generics companies in several markets around the world and has among the largest capacity of U.S.-based manufacturers.

 Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is an enormously successful company that creates, manufactures and sells high-quality products sold by the large, major retailers across the United States. These retailers include: GNC, Rite Aid, Albertson's, CVS, Duane Reade, Hannaford, Cardinal Health, McKesson, Mclain, Winn-Dixie, Harmon Stores, Fred Meyer, Osco Drugs, Supervalu, Roundy's,  Sav-On Drugs, Meijer, Fruth Pharmacy, Kinney Drug, Kinray, A&P, Kmart, Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, and over 5,000 independent drug stores, as well as in more than 80,000 convenience stores throughout the United States.

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SOURCE Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.