Zdrofit débuts in Elbląg. Benefit Systems increases availability of its own fitness clubs in northern Poland

At the beginning of March, the first Zdrofit club appeared on the fitness map of Elbląg – the second largest city in the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship.

We follow our customers’ needs and expectations

– One of our priorities is to constantly increase the availability of facilities where people can take care of their physical condition and, consequently, their health. At the turn of 2024 and 2025, we strengthened our offer in eastern Poland by opening the first Zdrofit clubs in Lublin, and in March we welcomed the first customers in Elbląg – says Tomasz Groń, Managing Director of fitness club networks at Benefit Systems. – I am convinced that the residents of Elbląg will appreciate the professional equipment of the club, a wide range of group classes, the support of qualified trainers, and above all, the fact that in our clubs we follow the needs and expectations of our customers – he adds.

The Elbląg Zdrofit fitness club is located at 1A Nowowiejska Street. The facility with an area of almost 1,200 square meters is divided into complementary zones: functional, free weights, machines, cardio, stretching, cycling and fitness. There is also a relaxation zone with a dry sauna available.

The club’s calendar is filled with numerous group classes, including the ever-popular Body & Mind (yoga, Pilates, healthy spine, mobility and stretching), dance classes with Salsation® in the lead role, strengthening classes, including flat stomach and circuit training, cycling, LesMills® and specialist Runmageddon® classes preparing for this challenge.

The Zdrofit club’s offer is complemented by comprehensive support for trainees provided by qualified and experienced coaches, an onboarding programme and digital tools. Customers have access to ZdrowAppka – a mobile application offering personalised training plans adapted to the level of advancement and goals of the exercisers. Smart tools analyse data and user feedback, optimising the class offering and suggesting the best training options.

Greater availability of clubs outside the largest cities

Currently, Zdrofit has 116 clubs in Poland with a total area of over 130,000 square meters. There are 33 clubs in northern Poland: the most – 22 – in the Tri-City, four in Szczecin, two in Koszalin, two in Pruszcz Gdański, one in Banino and one in Stargard. Starting from March, there is also one in Elbląg.

– Considering the market penetration rate for European countries, the Polish fitness market has great development potential. According to the Deloitte and EuropeActive report called “European Health and Fitness Market 2024,” this indicator is 8% in Poland. For comparison, in Western European countries its value is between 6 and 21%, while in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – 12–15% – explains Tomasz Groń. – At the same time, public awareness of the impact of physical activity on a long and healthy life is systematically increasing. This opens the way for the dynamic development of our networks not only in the largest Polish cities, such as Warsaw or Gdańsk, but also in medium and small towns located in the vicinity of large agglomerations.

As fitness networks expand in Poland’s largest cities, but also as they develop in smaller ones, they will develop beyond large shopping centres and office buildings to smaller spaces serving commercial and service functions. Currently, almost 40% of Zdrofit clubs are in shopping centres, and approximately 25% in office buildings as well as commercial and service complexes. In northern Poland, the trend is similar – the dominant locations are shopping centres (almost half of the clubs) as well as commercial and service complexes (40%).

The location of the newest club in Elbląg was dictated by the widest and most convenient accessibility for the largest possible number of residents. The facility is located downtown, well connected to the rest of the city, in a commercial and service complex adjacent to housing estates. Next to the complex, there is a parking lot available to the club’s customers.

^{Zdrofit is a fitness club network owned by Benefit Systems. The clubs promote healthy movement in line with the philosophy that physical activity is available to anyone who wants to take care of their health, regardless of age, body shape or previous achievements. Currently, Polish residents can exercise in 116 Zdrofit clubs. The largest number, as many as 62, are in Warsaw. The remaining ones operate in Tri-City, Szczecin, Kielce, Koszalin, Toruń, Lublin and Elbląg.}

^{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 wellbeing. 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, Croatia, and Turkey. The Benefit Systems Group also operates fitness clubs (in Poland it is responsible for Zdrofit, Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, Organic Fitness, My Fitness Place 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.}