April 7, 2025
The President of the UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) has granted conditional approval for a merger. Medicover’s subsidiary, ABC Medicover Holdings B.V., will acquire 16 companies operating CityFit and CityFit Blue fitness clubs. However, the acquiring company must sell two clubs located in Bielsko-Biała and Gliwice to maintain competition.
Maciej Chmielowski from UOKiK’s Communications Department stated that while the merging parties operate in the same fitness market across 13 cities, competition concerns arise in Bielsko-Biała and Gliwice. After the transaction, Medicover’s dominance in these locations could harm competition, possibly resulting in higher prices. Therefore, Medicover must divest one fitness club in each city to preserve fair competition.
The buyer of the clubs must be independent of Medicover and commit to running a fitness club in those locations for the next two years, subject to UOKiK approval. The decision is still subject to appeal, and further details about ongoing antitrust proceedings can be found on the UOKiK website.
