Ikar A.s.

What Ikar A.s. does

IKAR, a.s. is a private Slovak joint-stock company founded in 1990 and headquartered at Miletičova 23, Bratislava, operating as the largest publishing house and book wholesaler in Slovakia. The company runs eight publishing imprints — IKAR, Slovenský spisovateľ, Zelená knižnica, Príroda, AJNA, ODEON, YOLI, and Stonožka — covering fiction, non-fiction, world literature, spiritual/esoteric, nature, and children's categories, with a continuous release cadence anchored by the coordinated Knižný kompas (Book Compass) campaign that launches 35 titles across two waves per year. Bestselling authors include Táňa Keleová-Vasilková (~1.5 million career copies sold), Jozef Karika, Veronika Homolová Tóthová, and Jana Pronská, demonstrating a hit-driven but diversified author portfolio.

Name

Ikar A.s.

Legal name

IKAR, a.s.

Website

https://ikar.sk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IKAR, a.s. is Slovakia's largest publishing house and book wholesaler, operating eight imprints across fiction, non-fiction, children's, and world literature, and serving consumers through its own bux.sk and ibux.sk online stores, school-to-school distribution, and a nationwide wholesale network of bookstores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bratislava

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (Physical): Sale of physical books through wholesale distribution network, online stores, and bookstores. Major Slovak and international publisher with diverse genre portfolio.
2. E-book Sales: Digital book sales through www.bux.sk/eknihy platform
3. Wholesale Distribution: Book wholesaling to retailers and bookstores across Slovakia

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IKAR, a.s. is Slovakia's largest publishing house and book wholesaler, publishing and distributing physical and electronic books across multiple imprints (IKAR, Slovenský spisovateľ, Zelená knižnica, Príroda, AJNA, ODEON, YOLI, Stonožka) spanning fiction, non-fiction, children's, young adult, spiritual, nature, and translated world literature. The company operates two consumer online bookstores (bux.sk and ibux.sk), a logistics-based wholesale distribution network serving bookstores across Slovakia, a school-to-school educational supply program, and a companion podcast (Knížný kompas).

Product overview

Ikar A.s. is Slovakia's largest publishing house and book distributor, operating as a multi-imprint publishing company with eight distinct publishing labels: IKAR (main imprint), Slovenský spisovateľ, Zelená knižnica, Príroda, AJNA (spiritual/esoteric), ODEON (world literature), YOLI, and Stonožka (children's literature). The company publishes approximately 35 years of titles annually across fiction, non-fiction, children's, Young Adult, fantasy, crime, and romance genres. Beyond publishing, Ikar operates two consumer-facing online bookstores (bux.sk and ibux.sk for e-books) and produces the Knižný kompas podcast. The company also operates a wholesale distribution business serving bookstores across Slovakia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IKAR: Main publishing imprint of IKAR
• Slovenský spisovateľ
• Zelená knižnica
• Príroda
• AJNA
• ODEON
• YOLI
• Stonožka

Products and services

• IKAR (main publishing imprint) The primary publishing imprint of IKAR, a.s., publishing Slovak and international fiction, non-fiction, and general interest literature for adult readers.
• Slovenský spisovateľ (Slovak Writer) Publishing imprint focused on Slovak literary works and domestic authors, supporting national literature.
• Zelená knižnica (Green Library) Publishing imprint dedicated to environmental, ecological, and nature-related literature.
• Príroda (Nature) Publishing imprint dedicated to nature, biology, and natural sciences publications.
• AJNA Publishing imprint for spiritual and esoteric literature, featuring translated works from international self-help and spirituality authors.
• ODEON Publishing imprint for world literature and translated works, bringing international authors to Slovak readers.
• YOLI Publishing imprint focused on contemporary popular fiction and lifestyle titles, with a dedicated Instagram brand presence.
• Stonožka Publishing imprint dedicated to children's literature, with its own website, brand identity, and social media presence targeting young readers and parents.
• Bux.sk (Internet Bookstore) Consumer-facing online bookstore operated by IKAR for retail sales of printed books and electronic books to individual readers in Slovakia.
• ibux.sk (E-book Store) Dedicated e-book platform operated by IKAR for the digital sale and distribution of electronic books.
• Wholesale Book Distribution (Knižný veľkoobchod IKAR) Wholesale book distribution service operating from a logistics center at Na Pántoch 18, Bratislava Rača, supplying bookstores and retailers across Slovakia.
• School-to-School Program (Zo školy do školy) Dedicated program for schools and kindergartens providing educational books and learning materials with bulk purchasing options and a dedicated catalog and ordering system.
• Knížný kompas Podcast Companion podcast about books and reading featuring book recommendations, author interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and bestseller rankings, distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, and Deezer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1.5 million books sold by top author Táňa Keleová-Vasilková
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stonožka (children's brand)coreOthersStonožka is IKAR's children's publishing imprint with its own brand identity, Instagram presence, and website (stonozka.sk). It focuses on children's literature and operates as part of the IKAR publishing house ecosystem.
• Podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Deezer)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIKAR distributes their Knihý kompas podcast through major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, and Deezer to reach readers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Euromedia Group: Czech publishing and book distribution conglomerate (Euromedia, Knižní Klub, Ikar CZ namesake). Operates an integrated publishing + wholesale + retail model in a larger adjacent market, structurally analogous to IKAR's vertically integrated Slovak business.
• Penguin Random House: World's largest trade publisher and the source of many of the international authors IKAR licenses (Dan Brown, Jo Nesbø, Rebecca Yarros). Sets the global benchmark for trade publishing economics that IKAR's main imprint and ODEON compete against at the Slovak shelf.

Direct peers

• Vydavateľstvo Spolku slovenských spisovateľov: Slovak literary publisher focused on domestic authors and poetry, a primary supplier of Slovak-original titles. Direct competitive peer in the Slovak-language trade fiction market.
• Albatros Media: Albatros Media is the largest publishing group in the Czech Republic with multiple imprints (Albatros, Fragment, CooBoo) covering children's, YA and trade publishing. Closest functional peer to IKAR's multi-imprint model and a natural cross-border expansion benchmark for Slovak market leadership.
• Slovart Publishing: Slovart is the second major Slovak publishing house and book wholesaler, directly competing with IKAR across trade publishing, wholesale distribution, and online retail (slovart.sk). Operates in the same geography with a comparable multi-imprint model.
• Vydavateľstvo Matice slovenskej: Historical Slovak publisher of domestic literature, educational and scholarly titles. Direct domestic peer serving the same Slovak reader base with traditional trade and academic publishing.

Regional players

• Grada Publishing: Major Czech non-fiction and professional/special interest publisher. Comparable to IKAR's Príroda, Zelená knižnica and non-fiction segments in editorial style and trade positioning.
• Argo (Czech publisher): Czech publisher focused on world literature, translation, and quality fiction/nonfiction. Closely comparable to IKAR's ODEON and main imprint mix of translated and Slovak fiction.
• Kniha Zlín / Kniha.cz: Czech online bookstore and book distributor with adjacent distribution reach into Slovakia. Comparable e-commerce + wholesale channel mix to IKAR's bux.sk / ibux.sk and wholesale logistics operation.
• Fragment: Czech publisher specializing in children's, YA and fiction, part of Albatros Media but a recognizable standalone brand. Comparable to IKAR's YOLI and Stonožka imprints in format and target audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vydavatelstvo_ikar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ikar-a.s.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ikar A.s.