Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, has reported a solid start to 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 first quarter (April to June 2026), up from EUR 22.9 million in the same period last year. Group EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, corresponding to 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 classic formats, with the share of community-driven business models decreasing to 24% of revenues in the first quarter, down from 31% in the prior-year period. Digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, slightly lower than the 38% reported a year earlier.
The “Book” segment saw revenues rise to EUR 22.9 million (previous year: EUR 21.4 million), fueled by strong performances under both new and established imprints. The new “Pfaueninsel” imprint benefited from the success of “Traume aus Feuer” by Florian Illies, a SPIEGEL bestseller that consistently ranked in the top ten and repeatedly reached the number one spot. Under the “Lubbe” imprint, Lucy Astner’s novel “Kein Sommer ohne August” remained a fixture on the SPIEGEL bestseller list, while 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 strong performance. Segment EBIT for “Book” was EUR 1.0 million, down slightly from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year.
In the “Novel Booklets” segment, revenues increased modestly to EUR 1.7 million (previous year: EUR 1.6 million), with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million from EUR 0.0 million. Higher costs impacted overall earnings: the cost of materials rose to EUR 12.4 million (previous year: EUR 10.6 million), mainly 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 in the first quarter, compared to EUR 1.2 million in the prior year. Net profit attributable to shareholders stood at EUR 0.7 million (previous year: EUR 0.8 million), with earnings per share at EUR 0.05 (previous year: EUR 0.06). As of 30 June 2026, total assets were EUR 107.2 million, down from EUR 109.0 million at the end of March 2026, while equity attributable to shareholders increased to EUR 66.4 million 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 interim statement is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
