Hermes Publishing

What Hermes Publishing does

Hermes Publishing (ИК Хермес) is a Bulgarian publishing house and bookstore chain with approximately 35 years of operating history, headquartered in Sofia with roots in Plovdiv. The company runs a dual business model combining publishing activities with retail distribution through the online bookstore hermesbooks.bg and a chain of 10 owned physical bookstores across major Bulgarian cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Blagoevgrad, Vidin, Sliven, and Haskovo). It is privately held, employs 21 people, and operates exclusively within Bulgaria's domestic market.

The company's product portfolio spans fiction and non-fiction across numerous genres, children's literature, textbooks and educational materials for K-12, plus a gift and accessory category including board games, puzzles, stationery, Anekke bags, luxury writing instruments, LEGO, and calendars. The e-commerce platform provides standard retail functionality (catalog, shopping cart, wishlist, product comparison, customer accounts). Proprietary sub-brands include the 'Classic Club' (Клуб Класика) premium classic literature editions, the 'Golden Pen Collection' (Колекция Златно перо), and a 'BookTok Sensations' curation targeting social-media-driven book trends. The technology stack is a conventional e-commerce platform with no disclosed AI/ML or proprietary technological assets.

Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer book retail, gift and accessory sales, and student supplies via both online and physical channels, with unit pricing ranging from approximately 5.95 EUR to 40.90 EUR and promotional discounts of 10–30%. Customer segments include general adult readers, children and teenagers, students and educational institutions (with special bulk-order discounts), and gift buyers. Distribution is supported by courier delivery (Speedy), automated lockers (BOX NOW), phone ordering, and a dedicated B2B channel for libraries and reading rooms (читалища) with automatic trade discounts.

Name

Hermes Publishing

Legal name

HERMESBOOKS.BG

Website

https://hermesbooks.bg

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hermes Publishing is a Bulgarian publishing house and bookstore chain operating for 35 years, combining the online store hermesbooks.bg with 10 physical bookstores across Bulgaria to sell fiction, non-fiction, children's books, textbooks, and gifts to general readers, students, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Retail and Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921), Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (424920)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Book retail
• Fiction publishing
• Children's literature
• Educational textbooks
• Gift and stationery

Headquarters

HQ city

Sofia

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book retail sales: Revenue from selling books directly to consumers through online store and physical bookstores. Includes both fiction and non-fiction titles, children's books, educational materials, and books in English.
2. Gift and accessory sales: Revenue from gift items including board games, puzzles, bags and wallets, notebooks and organizers, luxury writing instruments, book accessories, water bottles, cards, metal tins, bookmarks, sketchbooks, toys, scratch drawings, calendars, Lego, and music boxes.
3. Student supplies: Revenue from school supplies including markers, pens, pencils, crayons, paints, brushes, fine-tip pens, textbooks and workbooks for all grades K-12, backpacks, pencil cases, food containers, notebooks, folders and binders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hermes Publishing is a Bulgarian publishing house and bookstore chain that sells books, textbooks, gift items, board games, puzzles, and stationery through an online store (hermesbooks.bg) and a chain of 10 physical bookstores across Bulgaria. It also publishes its own catalog of Bulgarian and translated titles under the Издателска къща Хермес imprint, including special collections like Клуб Класика (Classic Club) and Колекция "Златно перо" (Golden Pen Collection). The company serves individual consumers directly and provides bulk-ordering arrangements with trade discounts for libraries (читалища) and educational institutions.

Product overview

Hermes Publishing operates an online bookstore platform (hermesbooks.bg) serving as both a retail platform and publishing house. The core offering is an online bookstore with extensive book categories including fiction (fantasy, horror, romance, thrillers, classics), non-fiction (self-help, philosophy, psychology, cooking, travel, biographies), children's literature, and textbooks for all grade levels. The platform also offers gift products including board games, puzzles, bags, notebooks, luxury writing instruments, LEGO, and calendars. Notable product sub-brands include BookTok Sensations (viral social media books), Classic Club (luxury classic editions), Golden Pen Collection, and the Promo Zone with seasonal discounts. The company also maintains physical bookstores in multiple Bulgarian cities and offers flexible ordering systems for educational institutions like schools and libraries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Клуб Класика (Classic Club): Classic literature collection under the Hermes publishing house
• Колекция Златно перо

Products and services

• Online Bookstore (Онлайн книжарница Хермес) Bulgarian online bookstore at hermesbooks.bg offering books, textbooks, and gift items with shopping cart, wishlist, customer accounts, and home delivery across Bulgaria via Speedy courier, BOX NOW lockers, and in-store pickup.
• Hermes Physical Bookstore Chain (Книжарници Хермес) Chain of 10 owned brick-and-mortar bookstores across major Bulgarian cities, allowing in-person browsing and purchase of books, textbooks, and gift items with personal customer service.
• Издателска къща Хермес (Publishing House Hermes) Hermes' own publishing imprint producing Bulgarian and translated works (fiction, non-fiction, children's, esoteric, applied psychology, educational, language learning) sold exclusively through Hermes channels and bookstore chain.
• Gifts and Board Games (Подаръци / Настолни игри) Retail category of gift items including board games (e.g., Ticket to Ride Europe, Exploding Kittens, Mysterium, Dobble), puzzles (under 500 to 2000+ pieces), Anekke bags and wallets, notebooks and organizers, luxury writing instruments, mugs, playing cards, metal tins, bookmarks, sketchbooks, toys, scratch drawings, calendars, LEGO, and music boxes.
• Textbooks and School Supplies (Учебници и помагала) Textbooks, workbooks, and educational materials for kindergarten through 12th grade plus school supplies (markers, pens, pencils, crayons, paints, backpacks, pencil cases, food containers, folders, binders) with a special bulk ordering system for schools and libraries offering automatic trade discounts.
• Classic Club (Клуб Класика) Special collection of luxury editions of classic literature published under the Hermes publishing house, available through Hermes bookstore channels.
• Golden Pen Collection (Колекция "Златно перо") Curated branded collection of books sold under the Златно перо (Golden Pen) sub-brand through the Hermes bookstore channels.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Лидл България (Lidl Bulgaria)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Partnership for educational workshop 'From seed to plate' where Lidl Bulgaria provided surprises for participants. The workshop focused on teaching children about food and planting tomato seeds they could grow at home.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ciela: Ciela is one of Bulgaria's largest bookstore chains and publishers, operating physical stores and a national online platform selling books, textbooks, and educational materials; it is the closest direct competitor to Hermes Publishing in the Bulgarian book retail and publishing market.
• Trud Publishing House (Издателска къща Труд): Trud is a major Bulgarian publisher with a strong catalog of Bulgarian and translated titles; comparable to Hermes' publishing arm as a domestic publisher competing for shelf space and consumer attention in Bulgarian bookstores.
• Iztok-Zapad (Издателска къща Изток-Запад): Iztok-Zapad is a leading Bulgarian publishing house producing Bulgarian and translated works across fiction, non-fiction, and educational categories; competes directly with Hermes for authors, retail listings, and consumer demand.
• Bookazine: Bookazine operates as a multi-territory bookstore and gift retailer in Southern Europe and Asia; comparable to Hermes as a mid-sized regional book and lifestyle retailer with physical stores and curated non-book adjacencies.

Regional players

• Helikon: Helikon is one of Hungary's largest bookstore chains operating both physical stores and online sales; comparable as a regional Central European bookstore and publisher with a similar mix of books, educational materials, and gift products.
• Thalia: Thalia is Germany's largest bookstore chain with a strong omnichannel presence including physical stores and e-commerce; comparable as a regional European bookstore chain combining books with gifts, stationery, and lifestyle merchandise.
• Empik: Empik is Poland's largest bookstore and entertainment retail chain with nationwide physical stores and a strong online platform; comparable as a regional Central European book and lifestyle retailer operating in adjacent markets to Bulgaria.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House: Penguin Random House is the world's largest trade book publisher, supplying titles that flow through Bulgarian retail including Hermes' stores; comparable as a broad incumbent shaping the upstream supply side of the book value chain.
• Amazon: Amazon is the dominant global online bookseller and the principal competitive threat to national bookstore chains; comparable as the broad incumbent that defines price, selection, and delivery expectations across all European book markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hermesbooks
• Instagraminstagram.com/hermes_bookstore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermes-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hermes Publishing