Arkadiusz Likus is the founder and chief executive of a luxury retail empire in Poland comprising department chain Vitkac and multi-brand concept store Likus. In 2022, Likus expanded his business by opening a second department store location in Krakow, a decade after his first bowed in Warsaw. Over the years, he has persuaded many luxury brands to partner with his firm to open mono-brand stores or shop-in-shops in the country, such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Moncler, Bottega Veneta and Givenchy. By 2023, his department stores (both brick-and-mortar outlets and their e-commerce channels) stocked nearly 400 brands including Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Balmain, Burberry, Alexander McQueen , Raf Simons , Fendi and Vetements; his multi-brand store sold brands such as Rick Owens and Maison Margiela and a fashion-forward selection of streetwear. Likus is also expanding the joint-venture arm of his business, where he opens or operates stores around the country for brands like Diesel.
Likus was the child of academics living in Poland at the end of the Cold War. In 1987, he managed to travel with his uncle to West Germany at a time when securing a visa anywhere overseas was extremely rare. Seeing Kadewe, West Berlin’s famous luxury department store, was a revelation for Likus. After the fall of communism a few years later, he realised he could follow his dream of creating something similar in his home country if he had the right education. Likus went abroad for his studies, first to the Institut auf dem Rosenberg in Switzerland, then to Queen Mary University of London where he studied economy and politics before pursuing an MBA from a university in Italy. It was at the very end of his studies, in 2004, when he opened his very first luxury retail venture.
