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Private company

IANOS

Greek publishing company based in Thessaloniki, founded in 19841

IANOS SA is a Greek-based book, music and art retailer with several stores in the two major cities, Thessaloniki and Athens. It was named after the ancient Roman god Janus (a lower class god for beginnings, ends and dilemmas and making decisions) as a link to the identity and mission of the company. IANOS sells through its concept-store chain a large variety of books, CDs, art objects, periodicals, gifts and stationery.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1984Founded1

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IANOS SA is a Greek-based book, music and art retailer with several stores in the two major cities, Thessaloniki and Athens. It was named after the ancient Roman god Janus (a lower class god for beginnings, ends and dilemmas and making decisions) as a link to the identity and mission of the company. IANOS sells through its concept-store chain a large variety of books, CDs, art objects, periodicals, gifts and stationery. Also, it offers event venues, seminars, art galleries, a publishing house, and an art café. It operates web sales (for online shopping) and runs an internet radio.2

The story

The first part of IANOS Culture Chain was created in September 1984 in Thessaloniki, Greece by Nikos Karatzas. The first store and headquarters of the group is located at 7 Aristotelous St. in Thessaloniki and is a 1,000-square-metre (11,000 sq ft) store including bookstore, art gallery and cultural events venue. Since then, the company has added another eight branches, with the last—opened in 2016—being IANOS for children (Mitropoleos 73, Thessaloniki). Furthermore, IANOS developed a range of new activities (IANOS Radio, IANOS Digital, IANOS Business Gifts). The branch on Stadiou street in Athens opened in 2005 and is a 1,600-square-metre (17,000 sq ft) store with more than 150,000 book titles. The average daily traffic is estimated at 1,500–2,000 people, which translates to at least 550,000 visitors per year. During the last three years of operation it hosted around 10,121 selected events that were attended by more than 200,000 spectators.

From Wikipedia’s article on IANOS, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1984Founded Founded1

Sources

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