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-June 2026), up from EUR 23.6 million in the same period last year. The company's EBIT reached EUR 1.1 million, translating into an EBIT margin of 4.4%, reflecting improved profitability compared to the previous quarter.
The revenue increase was primarily driven by strong performances in the Book segment, which generated EUR 22.9 million, up from EUR 21.4 million in the prior year. Notable successes included the new imprint 'Pfaueninsel' with the SPIEGEL bestseller 'Traume aus Feuer' by Florian Illies, which reached top positions on the bestseller list, and the 'Lübbe' imprint with titles like Lucy Astner's 'Kein Sommer ohne August' and Ken Follett's 'The Armour of Light' in paperback. The Novel Booklets segment also saw a slight revenue increase to EUR 1.7 million, with segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million.
Despite the positive revenue trend, the company faced higher costs, including increased material costs of EUR 12.4 million due to printing expenses for upcoming releases, and personnel costs rising to EUR 6.1 million. Consequently, consolidated net profit attributable to shareholders decreased slightly to EUR 0.7 million, with earnings per share at EUR 0.05.
The share of revenues from community-driven business models declined to 24% from 31% in the previous year, while digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, down from 38%. This shift reflects the strong performance of traditional book formats during the quarter.
CEO Soheil Dastyari 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 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 balance sheet remains stable, with total assets of EUR 107.2 million as of June 30, 2026.
Bastei Lubbe's interim statement for the first quarter is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de. The company continues to position itself as an innovation driver in the publishing industry, leveraging its diverse imprints and digital distribution channels.
