Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group, has announced a positive start to its 2026/2027 fiscal year, with group revenues increasing to EUR 24.6 million in the first quarter (April-June 2026), up from EUR 21.4 million in the prior-year period. This growth comes despite persistent muted conditions in the German book market. The company's EBIT for the quarter stood at EUR 1.1 million, translating into 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 performance was particularly bolstered by strong sales in the 'Book' segment, which generated EUR 22.9 million (previous year: EUR 21.4 million). The new 'Pfaueninsel' imprint and the established 'Lübbe' imprint were key contributors. Notably, the top release 'Traume aus Feuer' by Florian Illies under 'Pfaueninsel' became a SPIEGEL bestseller, repeatedly reaching the top ten. Additionally, Lucy Astner's novel 'Kein Sommer ohne August' under the Lübbe imprint remained a permanent fixture on the SPIEGEL bestseller list. The paperback edition of Ken Follett's 'The Armour of Light' and Eva Almstadt's crime thriller 'Akte Nordsee – Die letzte Predigt' also contributed to the segment's success.
The 'Novel Booklets' segment saw a slight revenue increase to EUR 1.7 million from EUR 1.6 million, with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million. However, higher costs impacted overall 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 a higher number of employees. As a result, consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) decreased to EUR 1.0 million from EUR 1.2 million in the prior-year quarter, and net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 0.7 million (previous year: EUR 0.8 million), with earnings per share at EUR 0.05.
The company also noted a shift in revenue mix, with community-driven business models contributing 24% of revenues (down from 31% in the prior-year quarter) and digital products accounting for 35% (down from 38%). This reflects a stronger performance from traditional book formats.
Bastei Lubbe 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 company's balance sheet remains stable, with total assets of EUR 107.2 million as of June 30, 2026, and equity attributable to shareholders increasing to EUR 66.4 million.
The interim statement for the first quarter is available on the company's website: Bastei Lubbe AG.
