Matras bookshop chain finds buyer

Matras outlet. Photo: wikipedia

Matras, which has 170 outlets across the country, has been courting potential new owners for over a year.

According to the Puls Biznesu daily, Kowalewski's company Nowe Powierzchnie will pay 40 million zloty (9.7 million euros) for the controlling interest in the firm.

Current chairman of Matras Mariusz Rutowicz has said that thanks to the new ownership, the company will be able to continue with a far-reaching programme of investment.

These plans include developing the company's online presence, and also adding new features to the shops themselves. Some stores already have cafes in which customers can both consume cakes and drink wine.

Jerzy Kowalewski ultimately won out over three other potential buyers: the Znak publishing house, the Olesejuk publishing house, and a consortium that included Proszynski i S-ka and Sonia Draga.

Matras was founded in the Silesian city of Katowice in 1992, and it currently has outlets across the country. (nh)