Empik (stylised as empi̓k) is a Polish commercial chain selling
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
s, international
press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Print media or news media, commonly called "the press"
* Printing press, commonly called "the press"
* Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers
* Press TV, an Iranian television network
People
* Press (surname), a fam ...
and media products (including film, music, and software). The chain also owns a photo company, Empik Foto, as well as a foreign language school, Empik School.
History
EMPiK chain began during Poland's communist period as KMPiK ( pl, Klub Międzynarodowej Prasy i Książki, the International Press and Book Club) owned by the
Prasa-Książka-Ruch monopoly which financed the
PZPR
The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...
Party from its revenue. In 1991 it was acquired by businessmen Jacek Dębski, Janusz Romanowski (a former reserve police officer) and
Yaron Bruckner, and given its current name. While initially it was partially owned by the Polish state, in 1994 it was sold completely by the
State Treasury
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in p ...
to Bruckner's
Eastbridge N.V. In May 2009 EMPiK had 134 stores in Poland and 23 stores in Ukraine.
[From Polish Wikipedia]
See also
*
List of bookstore chains
This is a list of bookstore chains with brick-and-mortar locations.
In the United Kingdom and many parts of the English speaking world, they are known as "Bookshops" and "newsagents".
In American English, they are called "bookstores", or sometime ...
Notes
External links
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{{Authority control
Companies based in Warsaw
Retail companies established in 1991
Bookstores of Poland
Language schools
Polish brands
Polish Limited Liability Companies