Gramedia

Gramedia is an Indonesian retail brand best known for the Toko Buku Gramedia chain. It operates as part of Kompas Gramedia Group, the Indonesian media and publishing organization associated with the newspaper Kompas and a broad portfolio of publishing, retail, education, and information businesses. Gramedia’s core role is to make books and other learning-related goods available to consumers through physical stores across Indonesia. The business was established on 2 February 1970 by P.K. Ojong and Jakob Oetama. Its first store was a small 25-square-metre shop-house on Gajah Mada Road in West Jakarta. The venture reflected Ojong’s objective of distributing books more widely throughout Indonesia and the broader Kompas Gramedia mission of building what it described as infrastructure for civilization through access to knowledge and literacy. Rather than positioning itself solely as a conventional bookseller, Gramedia developed around the idea that retail could connect publishing, education, reading, and everyday creative activity. During the 1980s, the group strengthened its position through vertical integration in publishing. Related publishing businesses included Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Elex Media Komputindo, and Grasindo. This relationship between publishing and retail gave the Gramedia ecosystem a direct connection to Indonesian-language books and educational content, while the stores also carried works from other publishers and a broad range of non-book merchandise. Gramedia stores sell books alongside stationery, office and school supplies, sports equipment, musical instruments, and computer products. The assortment allows stores to serve students, families, readers, office workers, hobbyists, and creative professionals rather than only customers seeking printed books. Store formats and merchandise mixes can vary by location, but the brand’s common proposition is a convenient destination for literacy, learning, work, and personal interests. The chain expanded from its original Jakarta location into other Indonesian cities and regions. By 2023, reference material described more than 120 stores in 33 cities across Indonesia. This physical network has made Gramedia one of the country’s most visible bookstore brands, particularly in shopping centers and major urban areas. Its retail presence also supports book discovery and public-facing cultural activity in a market where bookstores can function as community and educational spaces. Gramedia updated its retail identity on 9 May 2015 with a new logo and the “New Experience” store concept. The format organized stores into themed rooms or chambers and was first introduced at the Central Park branch in Jakarta. The new identity presented the letter G and the Gramedia name as symbols associated with creativity, flexibility, progress, change, ideas, and education. In 2025, Gramedia introduced the Jalma store concept at its Melawai, or Blok M, branch in South Jakarta. “Jalma,” a word associated with “human” in Sundanese and Javanese usage, represents a more experience-oriented retail approach. The concept emphasizes community areas, collaboration with creators, curated literature, lifestyle merchandise, stationery, and spaces for discussions, book clubs, seminars, and art exhibitions. This direction indicates an effort to make the bookstore a social and cultural destination as well as a transactional retail outlet. Gramedia remains an active Indonesian retail brand, with its identity centered on books, learning, creativity, and access to knowledge.

Gramedia was founded on 2 February 1970 by P.K. Ojong and Jakob Oetama under the Kompas Gramedia Group. The first outlet was a 25-square-metre shop-house on Gajah Mada Road in West Jakarta. Its creation was linked to the founders’ ambition to distribute books more broadly throughout Indonesia and to support literacy as part of a wider social and cultural mission. In this sense, Gramedia began not simply as a retail venture but as an access point for books and knowledge in a country with a large and geographically dispersed population. The business expanded from its initial Jakarta location into other Indonesian cities and regions. During the 1980s, Kompas Gramedia pursued a more vertically integrated approach to publishing and retail. It established or strengthened publishing businesses including Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Elex Media Komputindo, and Grasindo. These entities broadened the group’s publishing output and complemented Gramedia’s role as a retail channel. The stores could offer books from the group’s own publishing operations while also serving as multi-publisher bookstores. Over time, Gramedia broadened its merchandise beyond books. Its stores added stationery, office and school supplies, sports equipment, musical instruments, computer products, and other educational or lifestyle goods. This expansion allowed the chain to address several customer occasions: reading, schooling, office work, hobbies, music, technology, and creative activity. The wider assortment also reduced the brand’s dependence on book sales alone and reinforced its identity as a learning and creativity retailer. Gramedia continued to build a national physical network. By 2023, it was reported to have more than 120 stores in 33 Indonesian cities. The chain’s locations, often in major commercial areas, made it one of the most recognizable bookstore networks in Indonesia. Its stores also provided venues where consumers could encounter books, educational materials, stationery, and cultural programming in one place. On 9 May 2015, Gramedia introduced a new logo and the New Experience retail concept. First implemented at the Central Park branch in Jakarta, the concept divided the store into thematic chambers intended to make browsing more organized and engaging. The accompanying identity used a G-and-wordmark design associated with creativity, flexibility, progress, change, ideas, and education. The initiative represented a shift from a purely functional bookstore format toward a more deliberate customer-experience model. In 2025, the company launched Jalma at the Gramedia Melawai branch in the Blok M area of South Jakarta. The name is associated with the word “human” in Sundanese and Javanese. The concept places greater emphasis on interaction and community, adding creator collaboration areas, public discussion spaces, aesthetic interior design, curated literature, stationery, and lifestyle sections. Activities such as book clubs, seminars, and art exhibitions are intended to make the store a setting for literacy and cultural participation. Gramedia remains an active brand within Kompas Gramedia Group. Its development reflects a progression from a small Jakarta bookstore to a national retail network combining books, publishing-linked content, educational goods, creative supplies, and community-oriented experiences.

• 2025

  Jalma store concept introduced

  [1]Gramediaen.wikipedia.org

  Gramedia launched the Jalma concept at the Melawai, or Blok M, branch in South Jakarta, emphasizing community interaction, creator collaboration, and literacy activities.

• 2023

  Network exceeded 120 stores

  [1]Gramediaen.wikipedia.org

  Gramedia was reported to operate more than 120 branches across 33 Indonesian cities.

• 2015

  New Experience concept and logo launched

  [1]Gramediaen.wikipedia.org

  Gramedia launched a redesigned identity and the New Experience store format on 9 May 2015 at its Central Park branch in Jakarta.

• 1980

  Kompas Gramedia strengthened publishing integration

  [1]Gramediaen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1980s, the group expanded its publishing activities through businesses including Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Elex Media Komputindo, and Grasindo, strengthening the connection between publishing and Gramedia retail.

• 1970

  First Gramedia bookstore opened in West Jakarta

  [1]Gramediaen.wikipedia.org

  P.K. Ojong and Jakob Oetama established Gramedia on 2 February 1970. The first store operated from a 25-square-metre shop-house on Gajah Mada Road in West Jakarta.

A nationwide Indonesian bookstore and learning-oriented lifestyle retailer that combines books and publishing access with stationery, educational goods, creative products, and community experiences.

• Bookselling · 1970

  Books

  Books are Gramedia’s principal retail category. The chain offers Indonesian and translated titles across literary, educational, professional, reference, children’s, and general-interest categories. Its relationship with Kompas Gramedia’s publishing businesses provides an important connection to locally produced content, while the stores also function as multi-publisher bookstores.

• Educational and office retail

  Stationery and school supplies

  Gramedia stores sell stationery and school-related products that complement their book assortment. This category supports students, teachers, families, and everyday users seeking writing instruments, paper goods, organizational products, and other learning supplies.

• Technology and office supplies

  Office and computer products

  The retail assortment includes office supplies and computer products, extending Gramedia’s relevance beyond reading into study, work, and personal productivity. The category forms part of the brand’s broader learning and knowledge-oriented retail proposition.

• Hobby and creative products

  Sports equipment and musical instruments

  Gramedia also carries selected sports equipment and musical instruments. These products broaden the store’s role as a destination for hobbies, recreation, and creative development rather than limiting it to books and conventional stationery.

• Retail format · 2025

  Jalma store concept

  Jalma is a Gramedia retail concept launched in 2025 at the Melawai branch in South Jakarta. It combines curated books, stationery, lifestyle merchandise, creator collaboration areas, and public spaces intended for book clubs, seminars, discussions, and exhibitions.

• 2025

  Launch of the Jalma community-oriented store conceptStrategy

  Background

  Gramedia developed a format intended to make the bookstore more interactive and relevant as a cultural and community venue.

  Action taken

  The company opened the first Jalma concept at its Melawai, or Blok M, branch, adding community spaces, creator collaboration areas, curated literature, lifestyle sections, and venues for literacy activities.

  Aftermath

  The concept broadened Gramedia’s retail proposition from product sales toward social interaction, cultural programming, and customer experience.

  Source

• 2015

  Adoption of the New Experience retail formatStrategy

  Background

  Gramedia sought to refresh the physical bookstore experience and organize its broad assortment around distinct themes.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a new logo and divided the store experience into themed chambers, first applying the format at Central Park in Jakarta.

  Aftermath

  The initiative marked a move toward experience-led bookstore design and a more contemporary visual identity.

  Source

1. 1Gramediaen.wikipedia.org