The President of the Polish competition authority has issued a conditional approval for ABC Medicover Holdings B.V. to take control of 16 companies operating CityFit and CityFit Blue fitness clubs. However, Medicover is required to sell two clubs located in Bielsko-Biała and Gliwice to prevent a reduction in competition.

The planned acquisition involves Medicover, which operates over 150 clubs under various brands, and CityFit, which owns more than 20 sports and recreational facilities. Both companies compete in the fitness club market within the same cities, but the merger would significantly strengthen Medicover's position in Bielsko-Biała and Gliwice, potentially leading to higher prices for consumers.

According to the analysis by the competition authority, the merger would disrupt competition in these two cities, which could negatively impact fitness club customers. To mitigate this, Medicover must divest one club in each city to ensure fair competition remains in the local markets.

The buyer of the divested clubs must be independent of Medicover and commit to operating a fitness club at that location for at least two years, subject to the approval of the competition authority. The transaction must be reported to the antitrust office if the combined turnover of the involved companies exceeds 1 billion euros globally or 50 million euros in Poland.

This decision is not final, as the applicant has the right to appeal to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection. The competition authority also provides updates on all ongoing antitrust proceedings related to mergers on its website.