Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group, has entered the 2026/2027 financial year with continued revenue growth, despite persistently muted conditions in the German book market. In the first quarter from April to June 2026, Group revenues rose to EUR 24.6 million, up from EUR 23.5 million in the previous year. Group EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, representing an EBIT margin of 4.4%.
Soheil Dastyari, CEO of Bastei Lubbe AG, commented: "Once again, we were able to boost our revenues and also make significant progress in terms of profitability compared to the previous quarter. We will be systematically continuing on this trajectory as the year progresses."
The revenue growth was particularly driven by the strong performance of classic book formats. The share of revenues from community-driven business models decreased to 24% in the first three months of the fiscal year, down from 31% in the same period last year. Digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, compared to 38% in the previous year.
Revenues in the 'Book' segment increased to EUR 22.9 million (previous year: EUR 21.4 million), fueled by successful releases under new and established imprints. The new 'Pfaueninsel' imprint performed notably well, largely due to the success of the SPIEGEL bestseller 'Traume aus Feuer' by Florian Illies, which has remained in the top ten and frequently reached the top spot. The 'Lubbe' imprint also contributed significantly with titles such as Lucy Astner's 'Kein Sommer ohne August', the paperback edition of Ken Follett's 'The Armour of Light', and Eva Almstadt's crime thriller 'Akte Nordsee – Die letzte Predigt'. Segment EBIT for the book segment was EUR 1.0 million, down from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year.
The 'Novel Booklets' segment saw a slight revenue increase to EUR 1.7 million (previous year: EUR 1.6 million), with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million.
However, higher costs impacted earnings. Cost of materials rose to EUR 12.4 million from EUR 10.6 million, primarily due to increased printing costs ahead of new releases. Personnel expenses increased to EUR 6.1 million from EUR 5.7 million, reflecting scheduled salary adjustments and the filling of vacant positions.
Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) amounted to EUR 1.0 million, down from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year. Net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 0.7 million (previous year: EUR 0.8 million), resulting in earnings per share of EUR 0.05 (previous year: EUR 0.06).
As of 30 June 2026, total assets were EUR 107.2 million, slightly down from EUR 109.0 million at the end of March 2026. Equity attributable to shareholders rose to EUR 66.4 million, up from EUR 65.7 million.
The company has confirmed its full-year forecast for 2026/2027, expecting revenues between EUR 118 million and EUR 122 million and EBIT between EUR 10.0 million and EUR 12.0 million. The Group's profitability has already improved noticeably since the fourth quarter of 2025/2026 and is approaching the target.
The interim statement for the first quarter is available on the company's website at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
