Bastei Lubbe AG, a leading German publishing group, announced its financial results for the first quarter of the 2026/2027 fiscal year, showing continued revenue growth despite persistent challenges in the German book market. Group revenues increased to EUR 24.6 million for the period from April to June 2026, up from EUR 21.4 million in the same quarter last year. Group EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, translating 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 company noted that the revenue performance of classic formats was particularly encouraging, with the share of community-driven business models decreasing to 24% from 31% year-over-year. Digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, down from 38% in the prior year.
In the “Book” segment, revenues grew to EUR 22.9 million (prior year: EUR 21.4 million), driven by strong performances under the new “Pfaueninsel” imprint and the established “Lübbe” imprint. Notably, the top release “Traume aus Feuer” by Florian Illies under Pfaueninsel became a SPIEGEL bestseller, frequently reaching the top ten. Under the Lübbe imprint, Lucy Astner’s “Kein Sommer ohne August” also remained a fixture on the bestseller list. 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 success. Segment EBIT was EUR 1.0 million, down from EUR 1.2 million in the prior year.
The “Novel Booklets” segment saw a slight revenue increase to EUR 1.7 million (prior year: 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 (prior year: EUR 10.6 million), primarily due to increased printing costs ahead of new releases. Personnel expenses increased to EUR 6.1 million (prior year: EUR 5.7 million) due to salary adjustments and filling vacant positions.
Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) were EUR 1.0 million (prior year: EUR 1.2 million), and net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 0.7 million (prior year: EUR 0.8 million), resulting in earnings per share of EUR 0.05. As of June 30, 2026, total assets stood at EUR 107.2 million, with equity attributable to shareholders at EUR 66.4 million, up from EUR 65.7 million on March 31, 2026.
The company 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.
