Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading independent publishing group in Germany, has entered its 2026/2027 financial year with continued revenue growth, reporting group revenues of EUR 24.6 million for the first quarter (April to June 2026). This marks an increase from the previous year's figure, despite persistently muted conditions in the German book market. The company's group EBIT for the period 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 encouraging in the classic formats, with the proportion of revenues from community-driven business models contracting to 24% in the first three months of the 2026/2027 financial year, down from 31% in the same period of the previous year. The share of digital products in revenues reached 35% during the period under review, compared to 38% in the prior year.
Revenue growth was boosted by top releases under new and established imprints. In the “Book” segment, revenues rose to EUR 22.9 million (up from EUR 21.4 million in the prior year), with the new “Pfaueninsel” imprint and the classic “Lübbe” imprint performing exceptionally well. The success of “Traume aus Feuer” by Florian Illies under the “Pfaueninsel” imprint, which became a SPIEGEL bestseller and repeatedly reached the top spot, was a major contributor. Additionally, Lucy Astner’s novel “Kein Sommer ohne August” remained a permanent fixture among top titles on the SPIEGEL bestseller list under the “Lübbe” imprint. The strong 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 imprint’s strong showing. Segment EBIT for “Book” came to EUR 1.0 million, down from EUR 1.2 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
In the “Novel Booklets” segment, revenues rose slightly 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.
Higher costs left traces on earnings. The cost of materials increased to EUR 12.4 million (up from EUR 10.6 million), primarily due to increased printing costs ahead of new releases in coming quarters. Personnel expenses climbed to EUR 6.1 million from EUR 5.7 million, reflecting scheduled salary adjustments and a higher number of employees as vacant positions were filled.
Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) came to EUR 1.0 million in the first three months of 2026/2027, compared to EUR 1.2 million in the previous year. The consolidated net profit attributable to shareholders of Bastei Lübbe AG totalled EUR 0.7 million (down from EUR 0.8 million), translating into earnings per share of EUR 0.05 (previous year: EUR 0.06).
As of 30 June 2026, total Group assets were valued at EUR 107.2 million, down from EUR 109.0 million as of 31 March 2026. The balance sheet structure remained largely stable, with equity attributable to shareholders at EUR 66.4 million, up EUR 0.7 million from EUR 65.7 million on 31 March 2026.
Bastei Lubbe confirmed its full-year forecast for 2026/2027, expecting revenues in the range of EUR 118-122 million and EBIT between EUR 10.0-12.0 million. The group’s profitability has improved noticeably since the fourth quarter of 2025/2026, approaching the target. The interim statement is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
