Hi-Tech Bringing Back EAS? What Happened to Bill Phillips? – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog
by Matt Weik
If you remember, not too long ago, I wrote an article about Bill Phillips mentioning he was bringing back EAS. He used his own social media platform to get the word out, and while the news didn’t spread the way he thought it would, the word did get out into the industry about his intentions. Well, I had my doubts that it was going to happen, and I guess you could say I was right (kinda).
In a strange twist of events, it appears that Jared Wheat has acquired EAS and is bringing the brand back. The announcement was made that Hi-Tech Pharma purchased the brand and will slowly start releasing products in the very near future.
Hi-Tech Gives CPR to EAS — Can They Bring Them Back From the Dead?
At the time of writing this article, Hi-Tech has already launched L-Glutamine and HMB on their Hi-Tech Pharma website. Both products are being sold for $34.95 and $39.95, respectively.
The website also shows that Myoplex Muscle Armor, Betagen, and Myoplex meal replacement packets are coming soon (no price listed yet).
To be honest, this whole acquisition has me quite perplexed. EAS went out of business several years ago — 2018 to be exact. Not many specialty retailers would carry their products since they turned their back on the “small guys” and put their products into places like grocery stores, wholesalers, and big-box retailers (and at prices that were in line with what gyms and supplement retailers would be purchasing it for).
In a sense, the industry then turned its back on EAS, and very few people were supporting them. Sure, they had some trusted and loyal followers, but let’s be real, most of those people are our dad’s age.
I look at EAS the same way that I view MET-Rx — no one really cares about them anymore because they are a boring and outdated brand that is stuck in their ways and are unwilling to change with the times and innovate. The only thing keeping MET-Rx alive these days is their bar business.
The Question Many May Be Asking is… WHY?
Hi-Tech is no newbie in the industry, and they have the money to throw around and be dangerous with just about any brand they acquire, but for the life of me, I just can’t figure out what it is about EAS that made Jared want to sign a check.
Is it that he thinks some of these big-box retailers will pick up EAS again? I mean, it’s been years since it’s been on the shelves, and all those retailers have already brought in new brands to take up the space that EAS was occupying. So, I’m not sure that’s going to be an easy sell if that’s what the plan is.
Perhaps Jared is hoping that getting EAS back into some locations will open the door to get some other brands and SKUs in as well? That’s always a possibility.
Could this be the start of Jared branching out and acquiring more mainstream brands? Heck, maybe he would want to buy MET-Rx too, since no one else wants to buy them, Pure Protein, Balance Bar, or Body Fortress. Not even Nestle, who purchased a large chunk of the Nature’s Bounty brands wanted to touch their sports nutrition brands (there’s clearly a reason, and it’s not because they didn’t have the money to acquire them too).
Nature’s Bounty has fumbled time and time again with their sports nutrition brands. If anyone could right the ship, it would have been Nestle in the other acquisition or even possibly Jared, now that he owns EAS. Nature’s Bounty acquired The Best Bar Ever many years ago and ran it directly into the ground. This was one of the best bars (ever), in my opinion, but made some critical mistakes by trying to turn it into a shelf-stable bar, and from there, the wheels fell off. It was supposed to be relaunched under the Pure Protein brand, and well, that never happened.
Wishing Jared and Hi-Tech the Best of Luck with EAS
Jared is wise and knows how to build brands. And I’m always in favor of expansion, getting good products out to the market, and a good underdog story. EAS is going to be unlike anything Jared has been faced with.
Will he connect with Bill Phillips and work together on building the brand? Clearly, from previous posts, Bill still has a passion for EAS and wants to see it come back and be successful. Maybe they can talk things through, sign on a few dotted lines, and be off to the races?
While my money won’t be spent on EAS products in the foreseeable future, I do wish Jared all the best with EAS and hope he can bring it back, turn it around, and make some money. I know there were a bunch of people who were still using their Myoplex packets, so I’m sure there are some retailers out there who would love to get their hands on them again (assuming profiles and flavors all remain the same and Jared isn’t starting over from ground zero with the products).
This is an interesting story that I’ll be keeping my eye on to see how things shake out. Will Jared and Hi-Tech be able to successfully bring EAS back, or should the brand have continued to lay at peace, six feet under? Let us know down in the comment section.
Maybe Jared is connected by pure nostalgia? Who knows?
