EMPiK, is a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 commercial chain selling book

Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...

s, international press and media products (like films, music, computer software etc.) The chain also owns a photo company EMPiK Foto as well as the foreign languages school Szkoła Języków Obcych EMPiK.

History

EMPiK started in Poland during communist rule as Klub Międzynarodowej Prasy i Książki (International Book and Press Club). In 1991 it was taken over by Jacek Dębski, Janusz Romanowski (a former reserve police officer) and Yaron Bruckner and gained its current name. Still partially in Polish state hands, it was sold completely in 1994 to Eastbridge. In May 2009 EMPiK had 134 stores in Poland and 23 stores in Ukraine.