The Austrian competition authority cleared One Way Capital Holding’s acquisition of Speedfit after reviewing the transaction and finding no competition concerns that justified referring it to the Cartel Court for an in-depth Phase II examination. The merger was notified on 20 September 2026. At the notifying party’s request, the deadline for seeking a Phase II review was extended from four to six weeks and expired on 3 November 2026.

The acquiring group, Basic-Fit, also includes fitness studio operator clever fit. Both clever fit and Speedfit operate several low-cost fitness studios in Austria. The authority gathered detailed information from the parties and conducted a market survey involving competitors and other fitness and health facility operators.

For its assessment, the authority considered the relevant product market to include fitness studios in the low- and mid-price segments. It distinguished these from premium and specialised studios based on factors such as prices, opening hours, trainer supervision, studio size, services and customer groups. Premium and specialised studios—including women-only and CrossFit studios—as well as martial arts, yoga and Pilates studios, gymnastics clubs, and climbing and bouldering gyms were excluded from the market.

The authority considered that the relevant geographic market generally extends no more than 5–10 km, with smaller catchment areas in urban locations. It noted that actual accessibility and local geographic conditions, rather than straight-line distances alone, determine the strength of competition between studios.

Under Austrian merger control, notified transactions are generally reviewed in Phase I within four weeks, extendable to six weeks at the notifying party’s request. If competition concerns arise, the official parties may ask the Cartel Court to conduct a Phase II examination. Third parties, including competitors, customers and suppliers, may provide information or raise concerns during the review.