Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, has announced a revenue increase for the first quarter of its 2026/2027 financial year. Despite persistently muted conditions in the German book market, the company achieved group revenues of EUR 24.6 million in the period from April to June 2026. Group EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, translating into an EBIT margin of 4.4%.
Soheil Dastyari, CEO of Bastei Lubbe AG, highlighted the company's resilience and progress: “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 positive revenue performance was particularly driven by the classic book formats, while the share of community-driven business models contracted to 24% of total revenues, down from 31% in the same period last year. Digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, compared to 38% in the previous year.
In the “Book” segment, revenues rose to EUR 22.9 million, up from EUR 21.4 million in the prior-year quarter. The new imprint “Pfaueninsel” and the established “Lübbe” imprint performed notably well. Under “Pfaueninsel”, the top release “Traume aus Feuer” by Florian Illies became a SPIEGEL bestseller and frequently reached the top position on the list. Under “Lübbe”, Lucy Astner’s novel “Kein Sommer ohne August” also secured a permanent spot on the bestseller list. Additionally, the paperback edition of Ken Follett’s “The Armour of Light” and Eva Almstadt’s crime thriller “Akte Nordsee – Die letzte Predigt” contributed to the segment’s strong showing. However, segment EBIT declined slightly to EUR 1.0 million from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year.
The “Novel Booklets” segment saw a modest revenue increase to EUR 1.7 million, up from EUR 1.6 million, with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million from EUR 0.0 million. The company’s 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 also climbed 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 stood at EUR 0.7 million, compared to EUR 0.8 million, with earnings per share of EUR 0.05 versus EUR 0.06. Total assets were valued at EUR 107.2 million as of June 30, 2026, slightly lower than the EUR 109.0 million recorded on March 31, 2026. Equity attributable to shareholders increased to EUR 66.4 million from EUR 65.7 million.
Looking ahead, Bastei Lubbe confirmed its full-year forecast for 2026/2027, expecting revenues between EUR 118 million and EUR 122 million and EBIT in the range of EUR 10.0 million to EUR 12.0 million. The company noted that profitability has improved noticeably since the fourth quarter of 2025/2026 and is approaching its target. This performance underscores the group’s ability to navigate a challenging market environment while delivering growth and maintaining a stable financial position.
