What Empik does

Empik is Poland's largest omnichannel cultural-goods and lifestyle retailer, operating 386 physical stores across the country alongside a flagship e-commerce platform (empik.com) and native mobile apps on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery. The company originated as a state-run bookstore chain in the 1950s and has since expanded into a horizontal retail platform spanning books, electronics, beauty, home goods, sports, toys, and gaming, with a catalog of approximately 10 million products serving more than 12 million annual customers. Beyond first-party retail, Empik operates EmpikPlace as a third-party seller marketplace, Empik Go Max as a digital content (e-books/media) subscription, Empik Premium as a paid loyalty program with free delivery, Empik Selfpublishing for independent authors, and an outlet for refurbished goods, with logistics executed through partnerships with InPost, DPD, Poczta Polska, and Orlen Paczka and payments via PayU and Przelewy24.

The business monetizes through a mix of one-time retail product sales, marketplace commissions from EmpikPlace sellers, and recurring Empik Premium subscriptions, with mobile-app onboarding incentives (up to 100 PLN) used to drive digital conversion. Leadership includes Ewa Szmidt-Belcarz as Group CEO and Remi GANNE (appointed March 2026) as CMO, the latter joining from Allegro and Procter & Gamble to lead integrated marketing across physical and digital channels. The company is currently preparing an initial public offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and has publicly stated expectations of profit and sales growth on the back of rising Polish consumer discretionary spending. Empik S.A. is headquartered in Warsaw and remains single-country focused, with all operations concentrated in Poland.

Name

Empik

Legal name

Empik S.A.

Website

https://empik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Empik is Poland's largest omnichannel retailer of cultural, lifestyle, and consumer goods, operating 386 physical stores, an e-commerce platform with 10 million products, and a marketplace (EmpikPlace) serving 12 million+ annual customers. Revenue comes from retail sales, marketplace commissions, and Empik Premium subscriptions, with an IPO planned on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Omnichannel Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty & Personal Care Omnichannel (CRAFAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pet Supplies Omnichannel (CRAFAEAJ), Health & Pharmacy Omnichannel (CRAFAEAK), Jewelry, Watches & Luxury Omnichannel (CRAFAEAH)

Keywords

• Omnichannel retail
• E-commerce platform
• Online marketplace
• Books and media
• Lifestyle products

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Product Sales: Empik generates revenue primarily through direct retail sales of products across categories including electronics, books, toys, beauty, home goods, sports, and gaming to Polish consumers through both online and physical store channels.
2. Marketplace Commissions (EmpikPlace): Third-party sellers operate on the EmpikPlace marketplace platform, generating commission revenue for Empik on each transaction.
3. Subscription (Empik Premium): Empik offers a Premium subscription program providing free deliveries and special discounts to subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Empik operates a hybrid omnichannel retail platform in Poland, selling more than 10 million products across books, electronics, beauty, home goods, sports, toys, and gaming through 386 physical stores and the empik.com e-commerce site. The company complements direct retail with the EmpikPlace third-party seller marketplace, the Empik Premium membership program with free delivery, and the Empik Go Max digital content subscription for e-books and audiobooks.

Product overview

Empik is a Polish omnichannel retail platform operating as a hybrid model with 386 physical stores and an online marketplace. The core offering is Empik.com, an e-commerce platform featuring over 10 million products across books, electronics, beauty, home goods, sports, toys, and gaming. The company offers several complementary services: Empik Go Max (digital subscription for e-books), Empik Premium (loyalty program with free delivery), EmpikPlace (third-party marketplace), Empik Selfpublishing (author publishing platform), and Empik Outlet (refurbished goods). The platform also sells its own brand products including Empik Gifts merchandise. The company was founded in the 1950s as a state-run bookstore chain and has grown into a major online retailer serving over 12 million annual customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empik Premium: Premium membership program offering free deliveries and special discounts
• Empik Go
• EmpikPlace
• Empik Gifts
• Outlet Empik

Products and services

• Empik.com Main omnichannel e-commerce platform offering over 10 million products across books, electronics, beauty, home, sports, and toys, operating as both a first-party retailer and marketplace for Polish consumers.
• Empik Premium Membership program offering free delivery and exclusive discounts on products for subscribers, delivered on a monthly billing cadence.
• Empik Go Max Digital content subscription service offering e-books and digital media with tiered plans of 90, 180, and 360-day subscriptions for Polish readers.
• EmpikPlace Third-party seller marketplace allowing external vendors to list and sell products on the Empik platform, with seller onboarding and a support portal.
• Empik Selfpublishing Self-publishing platform enabling authors to publish and sell their books through Empik's distribution network.
• Empik Outlet Section of the Empik platform offering used and refurbished products at discounted prices.
• eKarta prezentowa Empik Digital and physical gift cards available in various themes and denominations for gifting purposes, redeemable across Empik's channels.
• Empik Mobile App Native mobile applications for iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery offering shopping, product browsing, and exclusive app-only discounts including up to 100 PLN onboarding bonus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 million+ annual customers served
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Poczta Polska (Polish Post)minorOthersLogistics partner for delivery services
• Orlen PaczkaminorOthersLogistics partner for parcel delivery services
• InPostminorOthersLogistics partner for parcel locker and delivery services
• DPDminorOthersLogistics partner for courier delivery services
• Przelewy24minorOthersPayment processing operator for online transactions
• PayUminorOthersPayment processing operator for online transactions
• e-Commerce Polska (Izba Gospodarki Elektronicznej)minorOthersIndustry association membership representing e-commerce sector in Poland

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• LPP (Reserved, Sinsay, Mohito): Polish-headquartered fashion retailer operating Reserved and adjacent brands across Central Europe. Comparable as a Central European omnichannel retailer scaling a brand portfolio (similar to Empik's sub-brand strategy) on a public-equity growth path.
• Media Expert: Major Polish consumer electronics and home appliances retailer with omnichannel stores. Directly overlaps with Empik's electronics and small appliance categories and competes for the same Polish household shopper.
• x-kom: Leading Polish pure-play electronics and gaming e-commerce retailer with strong omnichannel presence. Direct competitor to Empik's consumer electronics and gaming categories; comparable scale and aggressive tech-forward positioning.
• Carrefour Poland: Multi-category hypermarket and grocery retailer in Poland with growing e-commerce. Comparable as a broad-assortment omnichannel retailer serving Polish consumers across multiple lifestyle categories.

Broad incumbents

• Rossmann: Largest drugstore/beauty chain in Poland with growing e-commerce and 1,500+ stores. Comparable as a multi-category omnichannel retailer with strong physical presence and subscription/loyalty mechanics analogous to Empik Premium.
• Amazon: Global e-commerce and marketplace leader with growing presence in Poland. Overlaps with Empik's online retail and marketplace categories (EmpikPlace) and represents the structural ceiling for category-agnostic e-commerce ambition.
• Zalando: Europe's leading omnichannel fashion and lifestyle platform. Comparable as a publicly-traded, multi-category lifestyle e-commerce business with subscription/loyalty mechanics and marketplace dynamics similar to Empik's evolving model.

Direct peers

• Allegro: Poland's largest e-commerce marketplace and the dominant online shopping destination, with broader seller base and traffic than Empik. Direct overlap in books, electronics, lifestyle, and third-party marketplace dynamics via EmpikPlace vs. Allegro's marketplace.
• Smyk: Polish specialty retailer for children's toys, books, and educational products with a heritage comparable to Empik's original book/media positioning. Direct overlap in toys, games, and children's categories of Empik's 10M-product catalog.

Emerging players

• Ceneo: Polish price comparison platform and shopping decision engine closely tied to Allegro. Adjacent competitor to EmpikPlace marketplace as the discovery layer that shapes consumer traffic between Polish e-commerce destinations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empik
• Facebookfacebook.com/empikcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empik