Kolibri Beteiligung GmbH: Successful First Quarter of 2025 and Stable Revenue and Earnings Outlook Despite a Challenging Overall Market Environment

Potsdam, May 14, 2025.Kolibri Beteiligung GmbH, along with its subsidiaries Zeitfracht Logistik, Zeitfracht Medien, and the airline German Airways, looks back on a satisfactory first quarter of 2025. All three business segments are subject to strong seasonal fluctuations and are traditionally least profitable in the first quarter. However, with a consolidated operating profit (EBITDA) of EUR 8.4 million—an increase of EUR 6 million compared to the same period last year—the company has made a solid start to the new fiscal year. Accordingly, the forecast for the full year 2025 remains stable.

In the first quarter of 2025, Kolibri Beteiligung GmbH successfully placed a floating-rate corporate bond with an issue volume of EUR 145 million on the capital market. The bond, structured as a Nordic bond with a four-year term under Norwegian law, was used to prepay an existing SME bond, refinance liabilities, and support ongoing operations and future growth.

The subsidiaries performed well in a quarter-over-quarter comparison between 2025 and 2024:Zeitfracht Logistik GmbHgenerated revenue of EUR 17.6 million, exceeding its target. The company is on track in terms of transport volumes and was able to significantly reduce costs through strict cost management, particularly in vehicle expenses. Zeitfracht Logistik currently assesses the market outlook as stable and expects a further moderate increase in revenue and profitability over the course of the year.

Zeitfracht MedienGmbHgenerated just over EUR 110 million in revenue for the quarter, with gross profit and EBITDA currently exceeding the prior-year level and coming in 22 percent above target. The company recorded growth compared to the same quarter of the previous year, primarily in the electronics segment, driven by the distribution of new brands and its strong in-house brand, Speedlink. Growth drivers included the Amazon sales channel, other online retailers, and specialty retailers. Additionally, in media logistics, revenue from the publishing distribution segment is developing satisfactorily and offsetting consumer reluctance in the book wholesale sector. At the same time, the print-on-demand sector, which was recently expanded through significant investments, is performing very successfully. The company is also increasingly succeeding in attracting businesses from other industries to its comprehensive dropshipping, fulfillment, and returns services.

German Airways GmbHincreased its revenue to over 12 million euros, surpassing the strong prior-year figure by approximately 8.8 percent; cumulative EBITDA turned positive as early as the first quarter of the fiscal year. The transition to the summer flight schedule at the end of March went smoothly, and fleet utilization continues to grow through midsummer. Charter operations are also set to increase steadily from the second quarter through the end of the year. For the full year, the company anticipates stable business and moderate growth.

Wolfram Simon-Schröter, Managing Director of Kolibri Beteiligung GmbH: “Our business performance also depends on macroeconomic demand factors, which are currently difficult to predict given the multiple crises we are facing and are characterized by sustained weakness in domestic demand. Nevertheless, we are currently managing to respond well to these challenges. Despite significant turbulence, we have created a stable environment for our business and minimized the risks to our company. Thanks to our streamlined structures, we believe we are well-positioned for further growth in our respective business segments.”