The Panini Group, based in Modena, Italy, is the world's largest publisher of collectible products. The company employs more than 1,200 people in twelve subsidiaries and has distribution channels in more than 150 countries. Panini Verlags GmbH is one of Germany's largest publishers in the children's and youth segment and is Germany's largest comic publisher. Around 70 employees work at the company headquarters in Stuttgart. Panini in Germany publishes around 130 books, 750 comics and 50 magazine titles as well as 30 collectibles (stickers, trading cards and more) every year.

Panini was founded in 1961 in Modena, Italy, where the company's headquarters are still located today. Giuseppe Panini is the inventor of the Panini collection. From the very beginning, he worked in the company together with his brother Benito, and in 1963 the two other brothers, Umberto and Franco, joined him. When the Panini brothers launched their first stickers on the market in 1961, they were the first to turn collectible stickers into a retail product. Previously, they were only known as advertising supplements. Thanks to its early specialization in publishing collectibles, Panini has developed into the global market leader in this segment. These include sticker collections, trading cards and games, photo cards and 3D figures.