Experts: sales of Polish Press uncertain after election

The fresh president of Orlenu Ireneusz Fąfara announced the sale of the Polish Press release in June 2024. In January 2025, Wnp.pl said that preparations for this process were underway. "We started last June and we want to start the sales process around June", he declared.

Speculations on the takeover of Poland Press

Orlenu's press squad at the end of May passed on "Presservis": "We are continuing to restructure the company to make it more attractive to possible investors". The company explained that this process "requires both cost optimization and increased gross efficiency". In the first 4th of 2025 the release recorded a net consequence higher by PLN 1.5 million than planned and by almost PLN 13 million higher than in the first 4th of 2024.

Among those curious in taking over the Polish Press from Orlen were the ZPR Media Group and Virtual Poland.

– As a rule, we do not comment on acquisition processes, whether we participate in them or not," says Michał Siegieda, manager of corporate communication and PR in the Virtual Group Polska.

– I cannot say whether we would be curious in buying the Polish Press, due to the fact that we do not know the valuation – says Zbigniew Benbenek, the main shareholder and president of the supervisory board of the ZPR Media Group today. “We could present our position on this subject after due diligence. However, I uncertainty that this operation will be carried out in the foreseeable future – Benbenek believes.

"Sale Imagely hard to carry out"

The head of the supervisory board of the ZPR Media Group points out that Orlen announced the restructuring of Poland Press. – It always means individual cuts, and you can't see these. Therefore, I approach sales announcements with a reserve," says Benbenek. He adds that issuing regional newspapers does not fit the portfolio of fuel giant companies and selling the publishing home would be full justified.

Zbigniew Benbenek: "Poland Press has returned to the newspapers advertising of local governments, which are mostly from the same political option as the current government. The possible sale of this company was figuratively hard to carry out, due to the fact that Orlen conducted it under the slogan of reflection of regional newspapers at the hands of the Germans during the times of the United Right. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Polish Press will stay in the hands of Orlen.

Earlier, experts believed that the sale of the Polish Press could start after the presidential election, which was won by the Law and Justice of Karol Nawrocki, alternatively than candidate of the Civic Coalition Rafał Trzaskowski. – In politics, playing kunktatory never pays off – says Dr. Adam Szynol, a medical scientist from the University of Wrocław and author of a book about the Polish Press “The Eye of the Chiefs”.

– If you gotta do something, you gotta do it without looking at the circumstances, due to the fact that they are seldom predictable. And that was the case with the Polish Press. Putting anything on "after the election" doesn't make sense, due to the fact that in 2 years there will be elections again," says the medical examiner.

MP KO: "PiS would respond with furious attacks"

– More speculation about the sale of Poland Press by Orlen appeared after parliamentary elections – notes Dr. Tomasz Słupik, a political scientist from the University of Silesia. – The case was hot adequate that there was even a shortlist of willing to buy, although possible willing after any time denied. Then the case went down, and I don't think the presidential election will change anything here," he adds..

Tomasz Słupik admits that the sale of the group may be delaying the desire to recover the acquisition price. He adds that a transaction below the acquisition price would be water on the mill for opponents of the present power.

Andrzej Andrysiak, president of the Association of Local Newspapers, believes that now the Polish Press may be, assuming optimistic assumptions, worth half the acquisition amount, which amounted to PLN 210 million. In 2024 he prepared an analysis in which he suggested that the publishing group could take over the foundation specifically for this purpose. In his opinion, this would warrant the independency of the Polish Press and little susceptible to political influence.

– The sale of the Polish Press would not be easy to communicate – 1 of the Members of the Civic Coalition anonymously admits. – surely the PiS would respond to it with furious attacks and populist slogans accusing the government of selling national property. But the operation would be possible after preparing the appropriate arguments and in a situation where the Polish Press would fall into Polish hands. However, this would be a script that could be realised in a politically unchangeable situation, in which elections would be won by Rafał Trzaskowski. It's different. We have a fire on board. And things like the Polish Press have been put on the shelf – adds our interviewer with KO.

The Temptation of Regional Media

In a akin tone, 1 of the MPs of the Left says: "In the government coalition, there is simply a full awareness that Rafał Trzaskowski lost the election for communication reasons. There's even talk of a communication disaster. In this situation, the temptation to keep regional media under state control becomes very big. Therefore, I do not believe that the Polish Press will be put on sale.

Dr. hab. Adam Szynol emphasises that the majority of those who spoke about the sale of Polska Press pointed out the request to rapidly pull the release from the wings of the state company. The fresh owner would mean implementing the fresh plan.

– The last fewer months have shown that there is simply quite a few good going on there, that the newspapers are returning to average operation. But inactive remains the owner dependent on politics – admits the journalist.

About 500 websites and 20 regional newspapers belong to the Polish Press. In 2023 the publishing home had PLN 364.2 million in sales gross and a failure of PLN 14.3 million. The study for 2024 is not yet available in the National Court Register.