EQS-News: Bastei Lübbe increases revenues and profitability and meets its repeatedly raised earnings forecast

Bastei Lübbe increases revenues and profitability and meets its repeatedly raised earnings forecast

• Group revenues up 3.3 percent, rising to EUR 114.0 million (previous year: EUR 110.3 million)
• 22.4 percent growth in Group EBIT to EUR 17.1 million (previous year: EUR 14.0 million)
• Improvement in EBIT margin to 15.0 percent (previous year: 12.7 percent)
• Dividend increases to 36 cents per share (previous year: 30 cents)
• Outlook for strong revenue growth with continued high profitability in the 2025/2026 financial year

Cologne, 15 July 2025 – Publishing group Bastei Lübbe AG (ISIN DE000A1X3YY0 ), which is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, can look back on an extremely successful financial year in 2024/2025 on the basis of the audited figures published today. Despite the persistently challenging market environment, it benefited from the continued success of its new adult community imprint LYX and the up-and-coming young adult ONE imprint, among other things, and was able to continue on its trajectory of profitable growth. Accordingly, the proportion of revenue generated by community-driven business models increased by a further four percentage points to 39 percent (previous year: 35 percent). Group revenues rose by EUR 3.7 million to EUR 114.0 million (previous year: EUR 110.3 million), thus easily reaching the original forecast (EUR 111 – 115 million) as well as the first upward adjustment (EUR 113 – 117 million). However, the Group fell slightly short of the most recently revised revenue forecast of EUR 116 – 119 million due to the muted state of the book market in the first quarter of 2025. Underpinned by print, audio and digital business, revenues continued to grow on a broad basis across all playout formats. The digital share of revenues increased from 29 percent in the previous year to 31 percent in the 2024/2025 financial year.

Group EBIT was extremely favourable, rising by 22.4 percent from EUR 14.0 million to EUR 17.1 million. This clearly exceeded the original forecast (EUR 13 – 14 million) as well as the first upward adjustment (EUR 15 – 16 million) and matched the most recently revised forecast of EUR 17 – 18 million. The EBIT margin also improved significantly again and, at 15.0 percent (previous year: 12.7 percent), was once again well into double figures.

“Last financial year was extraordinarily successful. The two pillars of our growth strategy – community-driven business models and digital products and services – have proven to be sustainable performers and show further potential. Accordingly, we are constantly seeking and finding new business areas and earnings opportunities to develop and continue growing, for example with the development of our direct commerce business and the launch of our LYX imprint in the US market,” explains Soheil Dastyari, CEO of Bastei Lübbe AG.

Revenue growth driven by community models and digital business

In the substantially larger “Book” segment, revenues increased from EUR 102.9 million to EUR 107.0 million, underpinned in particular by the success of the community-driven business models. Thus, the new adult imprint LYX posted revenue growth of 14 percent, due in part to the success of the Amazon Prime series “Maxton Hall”, which generated enormous demand for the book on which it was based. Revenues also increased by a further 10 percent in the children’s and young adult book segment with the community-driven imprint ONE. With revenues up 11 percent, the Community Editions imprint also contributed to this favourable performance. In audio business, total revenues expanded again significantly by 11 percent despite the sustained decline in revenues from audiobook CDs (down EUR 0.3 million on the previous year). The digital catalogue recorded a slight 1.5 percent increase in revenues over the previous year. EBIT in the “Book” segment improved again significantly and, at EUR 16.2 million, was well above the previous year’s figure of EUR 13.0 million. Among other things, this reflected a more favourable product mix and a correspondingly wider gross profit margin, as well as further dividend distributions from Räder GmbH and the press wholesale companies.

Revenues in the “Novel Booklets” segment came to EUR 7.1 million, compared with EUR 7.4 million in the previous year. Lower revenues caused by a reduction in the number of sales outlets were partially offset by revenues in the web shop and growth in digital products. At EUR 0.9 million, segment EBIT was only slightly down on the previous year (EUR 1.0 million), thus remaining generally stable.

Higher revenues and stable costs continue to drive profitability

Costs were virtually stable in the 2024/2025 financial year. The cost of materials totalled EUR 55.5 million in the year under review, down EUR 0.4 million on the previous year (EUR 55.9 million). This is mainly attributable to the increase in digital revenues, which have a lower cost-of-materials ratio, and the significantly lower amortisation of author royalties recognised as assets. Accordingly, the cost-of-materials ratio was down on the previous year. Reflecting higher staff numbers, personnel expenses climbed from EUR 21.5 million to EUR 22.6 million. Other operating expenses increased slightly by EUR 1.1 million from EUR 19.7 million to EUR 20.8 million in the year under review, mainly due to higher IT expenses as well as advertising and sales costs. Amortisation and depreciation fell from EUR 3.6 million in the previous year to EUR 2.5 million in the year under review. This decline is mainly due to the absence of the impairments of EUR 1.0 million that had been recognised on the assets attributable to smarticular in the previous year.

Against this backdrop, the Group’s EBIT improved significantly again in the 2024/2025 financial year, increasing to EUR 17.1 million, up from EUR 14.0 million in the previous year. Group earnings before taxes came to EUR 16.5 million in the year under review (previous year: EUR 13.3 million). After income taxes of EUR 5.1 million (previous year: EUR 4.5 million), Group net profit for the year reached EUR 11.4 million (previous year: EUR 8.8 million). Of this, EUR 11.3 million (previous year: EUR 8.7 million) is attributable to the equity holders of Bastei Lübbe AG. Accordingly, earnings per share rose to EUR 0.86, up from EUR 0.66 in the previous year.

Cash flow from operating activities contracted from EUR 2.7 million in the previous year to EUR -0.6 million in the year under review. This is primarily attributable to large author advances in tandem with the substantially higher consolidated net profit for the year and an exceptional effect arising from the discontinuation of factoring operations with an associated increase in trade receivables as well as higher inventories. In addition, capital spending increased, with the result that the free cash flow (cash flow from operating activities plus cash flow from investing activities) of EUR -1.8 million was well down on the previous year (EUR 4.2 million). These measures will ensure the continued implementation of the growth strategy and form an essential basis for the projected growth in revenues and free cash flow in the 2025/2026 financial year.

In the past financial year, the Group’s net assets were characterised by a shift from current to non-current assets. Non-current assets widened to EUR 56.6 million, up from EUR 48.5 million as of 31 March 2024, primarily as a result of the high advances paid to top-selling authors. Current assets widened by EUR 2.3 million from EUR 55.5 million to EUR 57.8 million as of 31 March 2025. This primarily reflects the increase in trade receivables as a result of the higher revenues in the year under review as well as the discontinuation of factoring operations, while cash and cash equivalents declined. Total assets stood at EUR 114.3 million at the end of the 2024/2025 financial year (previous year: EUR 103.9 million). At EUR 68.7 million (previous year: EUR 61.3 million), the proportion of equity attributable to the equity holders of the parent company resulted in a substantial increase in the equity ratio to 60.3 percent (previous year: 59.2 percent).

“Last financial year shows that we can clearly stabilise our profitability in the double-digit range and at the same time underlines the further potential of our business models. The outstanding performance that we have achieved this year is the combined result of cost discipline and strong profitability in our growth areas. This financial strength forms a stable basis for the continuation of our growth strategy,” adds Mathis Gerkensmeyer, Chief Financial Officer of Bastei Lübbe AG.

Increased dividend of 36 cents per share proposed

At the annual general meeting on 17 September 2025, the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board will be asking the shareholders to approve an increase in the dividend from 30 cents to 36 cents per share for the past financial year, equivalent to 42 percent of the distributable profit and thus again within the guidance range (40 to 50 percent).

Strong growth with continued high profitability planned

The book as a part of our cultural heritage and a source of entertainment, supplemented by the attractive e-book and audio products, will continue to facilitate the establishment of promising and highly profitable business models and offer further diverse opportunities for growth. Thus, Bastei Lübbe will be stabilising, expanding and enhancing modern variants of community-driven models and, above all, addressing the needs and wishes of readers who seek exciting and emotional entertainment as well as additional book-related products through digital channels in particular. Profitability should remain strong despite changes in margins compared to the year under review arising from a different product mix. In the 2025/2026 financial year, the catalogue will feature a number of new publications by major international top-selling authors such as Dan Brown, Ken Follett and Rebecca Gablé. At LYX, bestselling author Mona Kasten is continuing her successful “Scarlet Luck”. And other successful German LYX authors such as Lena Kiefer and Laura Kneidl will also be launching new series. In addition, new titles are expected from international TikTok phenomena Ana Huang, Hannah Grace and Brittainy Cherry at LYX. As well as this, two new imprints, Grau and Pfaueninsel, will be rolled out in the course of the financial year. Further revenue growth at Lübbe Audio, which will benefit from the audiobook exploitation of numerous major bestsellers, is also anticipated.

For the 2025/2026 financial year, the Executive Board is therefore forecasting revenue growth of up to 10 percent to EUR 120 – 125 million. Of this, the “Book” segment will account for EUR 113 – 118 million (year under review: EUR 107.0 million) and the “Novel Booklets” segment for around EUR 7.0 (year under review: EUR 7.1 million). Group EBIT is expected in a range of EUR 14.0 – 16.0 million in the 2025/2026 financial year, translating again into a substantially double-digit EBIT margin of around 12 percent. The target EBIT for the “Book” segment is EUR 13.5 – 15.5 million (year under review: EUR 16.2 million), while EBIT in the “Novel Booklets” segment should come in at about EUR 0.5 million (year under review: EUR 0.9 million). Bastei Lübbe AG’s annual report for the 2024/2025 financial year is available at www.bastei-luebbe.de.

About Bastei Lübbe AG:

Bastei Lübbe AG is the leading independent publishing group in Germany. Based in Cologne, it publishes books, audio books and e-books featuring high-quality popular entertainment as well as periodical novel booklets. In total, the Company owns more than 14 imprints. Bastei Lübbe sees itself as an innovation driver in the industry and has successfully established several rapidly expanding community-driven business models, among other things. Bastei Lübbe AG is also a pioneer of digital media, producing thousands of audio and eBooks, which are distributed via all digital exploitation channels. The Group generates annual revenues of over EUR 114 million (2024/2025 financial year). Its shares have been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (WKN A1X3YY, ISIN DE000A1X3YY0) since 2013. Further information can be found at www.bastei-luebbe.de.

Contact Bastei Lübbe AG:

Barbara Fischer
Head of Press and Public Relations
Phone: +49 (0)221 8200 2850
E-Mail: barbara.fischer@luebbe.de