Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, has reported continued revenue growth in the first quarter of its 2026/2027 financial year, despite persistent muted conditions in the German book market. For the period from April to June 2026, Group revenues totaled EUR 24.6 million, up from the previous year's figure. Group EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, translating into an EBIT margin of 4.4%.
Soheil Dastyari, CEO of Bastei Lubbe AG, commented on the results: "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 notable in the classic formats, with the share of community-driven business models contracting to 24% in the first three months of the fiscal year, down from 31% in the same period last year. The share of digital products in revenues also saw a slight decline, reaching 35% compared to 38% in the previous year.
Revenues in the "Book" segment increased to EUR 22.9 million, up from EUR 21.4 million in the previous year. This growth was driven by strong performances from new and established imprints. The new "Pfaueninsel" imprint benefited from the success of the SPIEGEL bestseller "Traume aus Feuer" by Florian Illies, which has remained in the top ten and even reached the top spot several times. The "Lubbe" imprint also performed well, with Lucy Astner's novel "Kein Sommer ohne August" being a permanent fixture on the SPIEGEL bestseller list, alongside the strong paperback edition of Ken Follett's "The Armour of Light" and Eva Almstadt's crime thriller "Akte Nordsee – Die letzte Predigt". However, segment EBIT for the Book segment declined to EUR 1.0 million 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 from EUR 1.6 million, with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million from EUR 0.0 million.
The increase in revenues was accompanied by higher costs. Cost of materials rose to EUR 12.4 million from EUR 10.6 million, primarily due to increased printing costs ahead of new releases in the coming quarters. Personnel expenses also increased to EUR 6.1 million from EUR 5.7 million, attributed to scheduled salary adjustments and the filling of vacant positions.
Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) amounted to EUR 1.0 million in the first quarter, down from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year. The consolidated net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 0.7 million, compared to EUR 0.8 million, resulting in 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 increasing to EUR 66.4 million from EUR 65.7 million.
The company has confirmed its full-year forecast for the 2026/2027 financial year, expecting revenues in the range of EUR 118-122 million and EBIT of EUR 10.0-12.0 million. The Executive Board noted that profitability has already improved noticeably since the fourth quarter of 2025/2026 and is approaching the target.
Bastei Lubbe AG's interim statement for the first three months of the 2026/2027 financial year is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
