Technology
Warehouse logistics are run by our own WMS, which tracks stock locations and the picking process. We manage product data centrally in a PIM, with AI tools helping us prepare it.
About us
Since 1967 on the road to our customers
We started out as the MAGNET mail order business, the only one of its kind in Czechoslovakia at the time. Today we take over warehousing, packing and dispatch for e-shops. In 2027 we'll celebrate sixty years.
- 1967the MAGNET mail order business is founded
- 2017renamed to PackWay
- 2027sixty years on the market
Who we are
From the MAGNET catalogue to a warehouse serving ten countries.
The first sales catalogues under the MAGNET brand came out in 1967, and nothing like them existed in Czechoslovakia at the time. Customers chose their goods at home, sent off an order, and the parcel arrived at their door. The principle has stayed the same, even as almost everything around it has changed.
In 2017 we celebrated fifty years on the market, changed our name to PackWay s.r.o. and opened our warehouse to other e-shops too. The infrastructure we had spent half a century building for ourselves has been used by our partners ever since.
Today we run twenty of our own e-shops under seven brands and operate in ten European countries. We warehouse, pack and dispatch their goods from the same facility in Pardubice that handles parcels for our partner e-shops.
- Magnet 3P, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Blancheporte, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Astoreo, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Výprodej-slevy, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Nábytek-bydlení, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Velký košík, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
- Vitakom, brand e-shop, opens in a new window
1967
first catalogues under the MAGNET brand
20
own e-shops
10
European countries
7
own brands
Own energy
We have a solar power plant on the roof of our facility with an output of around 99 kWp. It covers a substantial share of the whole operation's consumption, from lighting the warehouse to charging our handling equipment.
Responsibility
We have a long-standing partnership with the Zdeňka Žádníková Foundation. It improves the environment in healthcare facilities and children's hospital wards.
Our history
From the first catalogue to today's warehouse
Five eras that reshaped our catalogues, technology and markets.
1967–1977
Getting started
The Magnet mail order business launched on 4 April 1967, and nothing like it existed in Czechoslovakia at the time. Five years later, the millionth parcel went out to customers. The catalogues offered consumer goods, furniture, home accessories and even musical instruments.
Did you know?
The best-selling items were the Blanka series of flower-wall dividers and the Compakt furniture set.
1978–1987
The catalogue era
Newly issued catalogues disappeared from the warehouse within days. You could even order a holiday cottage or a log cabin. The legendary céčka sold out so fast they became a scarce commodity. A separate catalogue was published for spare parts too.
Did you know?
Cottages from the catalogue are still in use by weekend cottagers today. The Bobík cottage and the Šumavanka log cabin were firm favourites, available for around 62,000 Czechoslovak crowns.
1988–1997
Inspired by the West
The market opening cleared the way for foreign brands, above all electronics from Siemens, Bosch, Tefal, Philips, Moulinex and Gorenje. Following the example of Western catalogues, competitions and customer gifts were added. The arrival of the French Camif in 1993 kicked off the Magnet Camif era, under the slogan “French charm at Czech prices”.
Did you know?
Bedding was the most frequently ordered item.
1998–2007
There's more of it
The company moved from Kostěnice to Pardubice, where it is still based today. In 1999 it launched its first website. It began working with the French Blancheporte and the German 3Pagen, and traded under the name Cemod-CZ.
Did you know?
Customers loved taking part in competitions. Cars, televisions and cash prizes worth millions of crowns were given away.
2008–dnes
The e-shop era
In 2017 the company was renamed PackWay and opened its infrastructure to other e-shops too. Today we run twenty e-shops under seven of our own brands.
Did you know?
The catalogue started with 2,000 items. Today we offer more than 30,000.
Our name
A parcel that arrives exactly where it should.
We wrote the journey of goods to the customer straight into our name and our logo. Pack is a well-packed parcel, way is the route it travels to get there. Over six decades, catalogues, technology and markets have all changed. This one thing has stayed the same.