The first Antoine bookstore was opened in Beirut in 1933 and quickly expanded into a group of bookstores, distributors and publishers. Today the group is part of a holding company "Antoine International Holding SAL", employing a team of 300 employees and incorporating 3 major companies: Librairie Antoine S.A.L , Messageries du Moyen-Orient S.A.L. and Hachette Antoine S.A.L.