In a nutshell:
- Benefit Systems acquired a 69.8% stake in Wellbee, Polish mental health and personal development platform.
- Wellbee’s services will merge with Benefit Systems’ MultiLife, enhancing employee well-being offerings.
- The move strengthens Benefit Systems’ wellness portfolio in CEE where its flaghip program MultiSport services 2 million employees across the region.
From MultiSport to MultiLife
Polish Benefit Systems, owner of MultiSport Programme, has expanded its “portfolio” with a new acquisition in the mental health domain. It bought 69.8% of shares in another Polish company, Wellbee, for €7.8 M (PLN 33.7 M).
Benefit Systems is headquartered in Warsaw and has offices in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Turkey. Their most well-known product is the MultiSport card, which aims to support employees’ health through access to a variety of disciplines and the availability of sports facilities. With more than 2 million employees using it across the region, it can be well said it is one of the most sought-after employee benefits on the market.
The continuing high level of interest in physical activity within MultiSports motivated them to expand their offers further – this time the emphasis is on the development of MultiLife within the Benefit Systems product ecosystem, Emilia Rogalewicz, a member of the Benefit Systems management board, quoted in the release.
“In recent years, we have seen how important mental condition has become, and we believe that supporting well-being will be the next standard in non-wage benefits in a few years, as was the case with the MultiSport Program.”
Mental health, a “standard that actually translates into the organization’s results”
Benefit Systems has acquired mostly fitness clubs and sports facilities so far, so Wellbee’s acquisition marks its first step into the mental health domain.
Wellbee is a mental health and personal development platform that supports the well-being of individual clients and companies. The platform provides quick online and in-person access to over 300 specialists, from psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psycho-oncologists to couples therapists. They also offer support in form of high-quality development courses and selected psychoeducational materials.
Over the last 4 years, tens of thousands of individual clients and many companies have trusted them, highlighted co-founder and CEO of Wellbee Dariusz Milewski. One thing contributing to their growth is that employee mental health care is not as taboo as it was before, “it’s a standard that actually translates into the organization’s results,” he concluded.
“We’ve been a well-being partner that supports not only in the area of employees’ mental health, but also in the area of consulting and well-being strategies, audits, or tailor-made development programs and workshops for managers.”
Benefit Systems plans to integrate the Wellbee’s services with their program MultiLife as soon as as possible, while leaving Wellbee’s B2C model in offer. They want to commit to further scaling and development of Wellbee in the coming years.
Benefit Systems expansion in CEE
Founded in 2000 by Canadian James van Bergh, Benefit Systems has established itself as the top provider of work benefits, particularly through its flagship product, the MultiSport card.
As a group focused on offering and bringing fitness health programs to employees, it is no wonder that Benefit Systems is doing business with thousands of companies in the region. As of March 2024, the company had partnerships with over 41,000 employers across various CEE markets.
In 2023, Benefit Systems significantly bolstered its presence by acquiring five Calypso Fitness facilities located in major Polish cities such as Warsaw and Katowice. The company has also acquired other fitness chains throughout the year, including 16 clubs from Calypso earlier in 2023, showcasing its aggressive growth strategy in the fitness sector. According to management, it currently operates the largest fitness center chain in Poland, with 224 centers.
Benefit Systems has been expanding not only in Poland but also in other CEE countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia– but in slower pace. With its expansion there mostly focused on growing user base for the MultiSport programme, currently it has around 31 fitness centers of its own in these markets. With notable M&A in Bulgaria that got them 18 fitness clubs this year.
