Riachuelo Celebrates Employee Engagement with Wellbeing Through Partnership with Wellhub

São Paulo, February 2024 – Riachuelo, one of Brazil's largest fashion retailers, is starting 2024 by celebrating an important milestone for the health and wellbeing of its more than 30,000 employees: Through its partnership with Wellhub, the company has reached over 5,000 active employees (Rchlovers) on the wellbeing platform — a number that’s only continuing to grow.

According to Dr. Rafael Augusto Tamasauskas Torres, Riachuelo's Health and Wellbeing Manager, Wellhub stands out for the quality and reach of its gym and studio partner network, the variety of options for all employee interests, and its supportive customer service. To maximize participation in its wellbeing benefits, the retailer conducts internal engagement initiatives, and employee enthusiasm for Wellhub is notably stronger than previous initiatives: “In a single well-executed engagement campaign last September, we reached a subscription rate with Wellhub that was 70% of what we achieved in three years with our previous wellness provider.” After only one year of contract, Wellhub has more than four times the engagement obtained with the previous solution, a 355% growth.

This partnership is an important part of the company's umbrella program "We Embrace You," which supports  the health and wellbeing of all employees. This includes those in shopping malls, street stores, distribution centers, and factories. Having a partner with extensive national coverage is essential to support these geographically diverse employees, which are spread across more than 165 cities.

"Caring for employees is a strategic move because, in addition to contributing to the physical and mental wellness of Rchlovers, it reduces absenteeism, increases productivity, and lowers medical costs," says Dr. Torres.

Through the partnership with Wellhub, Riachuelo employees and their families have access to a network of 55,000 gyms and studios offering more than 700 activities, including cycling, spinning, swimming, yoga, pilates, beach tennis, soccer, volleyball, weightlifting, functional training, climbing, and dance. They can also use apps that support their physical and mental wellness through meditation, sleep tracking, nutrition, budgeting, and more.

"Riachuelo has an admirable culture of wellbeing that has been cultivated for years,” says Priscila Siqueira, SVP & Head of Brazil, Corporate Business at Wellhub. “ The power of leadership example and clear, proactive communication to drive employee engagement with their own health and wellbeing cannot be underestimated. Working with Riachuelo, Wellhub has the opportunity to positively impact the lives of more than 50,000 people, and we are very happy to be part of their holistic wellbeing program." 

Transformation Stories

Matheus do Nascimento Oliveira, 28 years old, works in Production Control at the Riachuelo Factory in Natal (RN). Upon joining the company in July 2021, he was enrolled in the "Your Health” program, designed for employees with chronic conditions. At that time, he was dealing with hypertension and obesity.

When Riachuelo started offering Wellhub to its employees, Matheus was one of the first to join the platform. Since then, he has been able to engage in a workout routine, explore new gyms and activities, and make use of the premium access to MyFitnessPal — provided for free in his plan — to take care of his nutrition.

"I used to be an active young man, but when I started working, I neglected my exercise routine and diet. I weighed 352 pounds and stopped taking care of myself,” he says. “Thanks to Riachuelo and Wellhub, I regained my self-esteem, no longer need medication for hypertension, and have already lost over 44 pounds." His goal is to weigh less than 220 pounds by the end of this year.

Douglas de Matos Alves is 36 years old and has been Riachuelo’ Compensation Analyst since July 2019. Like Matheus, he also felt that his dedication to work and studies took away focus from self-care. Three years ago, when his son was born, he decided to prioritize his health again, adopting a healthy diet and incorporating weight training in his routine.

As a subscriber to the company’s previous wellbeing platform, he noticed a substantial improvement in the quality and reach of the gym network with Wellhub. Today, after trying out more than ten different gyms, he found two options that better fit his hybrid work routine. He trains at a gym near his home on days he works remotely and at another on the way to the office on days he works in person.

"I work out early in the morning and start the day full of energy. My test results have improved significantly, I have more quality time with my family, and much more energy to play with my son," de Matos Alves says.

About Wellhub

Wellhub is the leading corporate wellness platform, offering the best network of gyms, studios, classes, personal trainers, and wellness apps - all in one employee benefit. More than 15,000 companies use Wellhub to help their employees move, eat, sleep, and feel better with access to fitness and wellness partners in subscriptions that cost up to 50% less than traditional memberships. Wellhub more than doubles the number of employees engaged with wellness. This widespread participation results in workforces that are 40% less likely to turnover and save their companies up to 35% on healthcare costs. Investing in employee wellbeing is investing in company performance. Get started at gympass.com.

About Riachuelo

With over 75 years of history, Riachuelo operates with the purpose of connecting desires to achievements. Combining innovation, dynamism, and agility to deliver collections and products for all styles, the chain is one of the main references in the sector and is recognized as one of the largest fashion companies in Brazil. There are more than 30 million customers with the Riachuelo card, and the company has over 400 own stores spread across the country.