The story
In 1948, the Main Board of the Workers’ Publishing Cooperative “Prasa” established a nationwide network of cultural centres and bookstores under the name Klub Międzynarodowej Prasy i Książki — KMPiK.
Empik was established in 1991 by Jacek Dębski, representing RSW “Prasa-Książka-Ruch”, businessman Janusz Romanowski and Ronny Bruckner. RSW “Prasa-Książka-Ruch” contributed 74 KMPiK outlets to the company. In 1994, Empik sp. z o.o. was acquired from the State Treasury by Eastbridge N.V., a company based in the Netherlands.
In 2011, the chain operated as part of NFI Empik Media & Fashion, owned by Eastbridge, formerly NFI Hetman. The group also managed brands in Poland such as Aldo, Esprit, Chanel, Clarins, Dior, Mexx, Sephora, Zara, Shiseido and Smyk. Olaf Szymanowski became president of Empik in 2012 and was replaced in 2015 by Ewa Szmidt-Belcarz. In 2016, Penta Investments took over the company from Eastbridge; since 2022, the majority-shareholder is Ewa Szmidt-Belcarz. In the first years of its operations, Empik stores included perfume departments; today these are usually independent stores located within the same shopping centres. At the end of the 1990s, multimedia departments included internet cafés and offered paid access to computer games.
As of 17 January 2021, Empik had 289 stores across Poland, and the company announced further expansion despite the difficult market situation caused by the pandemic. In 2020 alone, 15 new stores were opened, making Empik one of the leaders in omnichannel sales.
Today, the Empik Group includes various entities specialised in individual market segments: Empik Foto, offering photo services and personalised products; Empik Go, a platform offering audiobooks and e-books; Grupa Wydawnicza Foksal, one of the largest publishing groups in Poland; Empik Bilety and Going., operating in ticket sales; Jazzboy Records, a music label; e-muzyka, a music distribution company; and Platon, a wholesale distributor of books and other goods.
The Empik Group’s revenue reached PLN 3.44 billion in 2025, while GMV increased to PLN 4.9 billion.
From Wikipedia’s article on Empik, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4