In July, the Zdrofit network, drawing on almost 20 years of experience in encouraging and motivating a healthy and active lifestyle, opened its 100th club in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district.
The hundredth club is located at 41 Wojska Polskiego Avenue. It is a small facility, designed and equipped in accordance with the standards set by the network and fully meeting the needs of trainees, regardless of their previous training experience.
– Zdrofit clubs have been present in Poland for almost two decades. During this time, the fitness market has seriously evolved. Not only the clubs – their equipment, offer and comfort of training, but also the trainees – their expectations and motivations for physical activity have changed – says Tomasz Groń, Managing Director of fitness club networks at Benefit Systems. – Zdrofit has also changed. We opened new clubs and modernised previously opened ones, equipped them with high-class equipment, implemented original solutions... One thing remained unchanged, though. From the beginning, as the name suggests, we put health before fitness, we provide a professional space for physical activity and educate about its undeniable impact on psychophysical health – he adds.
Almost 20 years ago in Warsaw
The history of Zdrofit began in 2005 in the Gocław housing estate in Warsaw. The first club occupied an area of 300 square meters. Over the following years, the network developed, which coincided with the intensive development of Benefit Systems – a provider of non-financial benefits supporting employee wellbeing, including the MultiSport card. With the development of the MultiSport Programme, Benefit Systems intensified activities to increase its involvement in the Polish fitness market. The company’s investments in fitness clubs aim at building a stable and attractive infrastructure for the constantly growing number of sports card users and individual customers. In 2013, the MultiSport card operator bought 15% of shares in Zdrofit. Three years later, it became the owner of the majority stake (55%), and in 2018 it acquired the remaining shares and became the sole owner of the network.
In 2018, the network implemented a groundbreaking campaign called “Postaw ZDRO przed FIT” (“Put HEALTH before FITNESS”; the “ZDRO” part comes from the Polish word for health, ZDROWIE). Its aim was to make Poles aware that attractive appearance should be accompanied by awareness of how to take responsible care of yourself. For the first time, a player on the Polish fitness market opposed the pattern according to which physical activity is blood, sweat and tears. At the same time, a new approach to training was proposed. In Zdrofit clubs, everyone is equally important and regardless of their age, body shape or previous training experience, they will find an activity that suits their needs and capabilities.
Availability, comprehensive offer and new technologies
– For many years, Zdrofit has been pursuing its mission by providing places and tools for satisfying physical activity. We observe and analyse the global and Polish fitness market while following the needs and expectations of our customers. When developing the network, we are currently focusing primarily on three aspects: availability of clubs, comprehensive offer and support for those training using new technologies – explains Tomasz Groń.
Currently, the Zdrofit network is the leader on the Polish fitness market. It has one hundred clubs located in 20 cities. Most facilities, 67, are in Warsaw and neighbouring towns. In addition, one can also take advantage of Zdrofit’s offer in Tricity, Szczecin, Koszalin, Toruń and Kielce. The total area of all clubs exceeds 113,000 square meters, which means that the average area of the facility is over one thousand square meters.
The space of all new and renovated clubs is designed in accordance with accepted standards. The main part consists of modular training zones equipped with machines from leading manufacturers, including functional, free weights, cardio, fitness, stretching and cycling. People who prefer group classes can choose from approximately 120 training formats. They can take part in strengthening, endurance, metabolic, Les Mills or dance training with other people. Body&Mind classes, combining body work with conscious movement and breathing, which has a proven impact on calming emotions, are very popular. Relaxation zones where you can regenerate after exercise are becoming an integral part of Zdrofit clubs.
– According to research conducted among our network’s customers, professional support in starting training and motivating activities is of great value. From the beginning of this year, people starting training in clubs can use the ZaczyNAJ onboarding package. As part of the service, in cooperation with the coach, they familiarise themselves with the club’s offer, analyse their capabilities and needs and plan activities for the near future – adds Tomasz Groń.
The Zdrowappka application is a tool with organisational, educational and motivational functions. A new feature is the training plan wizard. Each person exercising in a Zdrofit club can generate an individual training plan that includes the type of training as well as its intensity and frequency. Numerous functions also enable to manage one’s training schedule and plan meetings with a trainer as well as motivate to visit the facilities regularly. Additionally, they respond to the increasingly common need for flexible forms of training. Not being able to visit a fitness club does not necessarily mean giving up all physical activity. The workouts available in the application can also be performed at home or outdoors.
Real impact on society and the industry
The educational activities of the Zdrofit network are another element confirming its comprehensive approach to promoting an active lifestyle and its impact on psychophysical health beyond running fitness clubs.
– In June, we signed a letter of intent with the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw. As part of our cooperation, we plan initiating scientific research on the impact of physical activity on health, organising educational campaigns aimed at increasing public awareness, reviewing and updating education in line with the latest trends and research, and internship programmes for students with the possibility of job placements and employment – says Tomasz Groń.
The network also runs its own training facility, the Zdrofit Academy. As part of its activities, professional and experienced staff provide knowledge to future personal trainers and fitness instructors. People who achieve the best results during training receive job offers in Zdrofit clubs.
– As the leader of the fitness market in Poland, we are aware of the challenges and are planning specific actions for the coming years. We will continue to educate society about the preventive role of physical activity and its impact on our health, life and work. We plan to increase the availability of clubs, develop digital tools supporting physical activity and make greater use of artificial intelligence in planning and conducting training – says Tomasz Groń about plans for the coming years.
Zdrofit are fitness clubs owned by Benefit Systems. The clubs promote healthy exercise in accordance with the philosophy that physical activity is available to everyone who wants to take care of their health, regardless of age, body shape and previous achievements. Currently, Polish residents can exercise in one hundred Zdrofit clubs. Most, as many as 67, are located in Warsaw. The remaining ones are situated in Tricity, Szczecin, Kielce, Koszalin and Toruń.
Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support employee well-being. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme, which enables physical activity in sports facilities throughout the country. Its portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the MultiLife wellbeing programme. For several years now, the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. The Benefit Systems Group operates over 240 fitness clubs on four markets (in Poland it is responsible for the Active Fitness Club, Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, Good Luck, Max-Gym, My Fitness Place, Saturn Fitness, StepONE, Total Fitness and Zdrofit networks). An important area of Benefit Systems activities is the promotion of an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors, also as part of the MultiSport Foundation. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been part of the global B Corp initiative, bringing together companies operating and engaging in solving the most important social problems. More information can be found at benefitsystems.pl/en