Start-up since
1949
It all began in 1949 - with a catalogue and a pair of shoes. Werner Otto wrote German post-war history. Today, OTTO continues to write history.
The beginnings
1949-
1959
After the Second World War, Werner Otto believes in his personal economic miracle and opens the ‘Werner Otto Versandhandel’ mail order business in Hamburg-Schnelsen. Legendary: the first catalogue from 1950 with 28 pairs of shoes on 14 pages. Ordering from home and even on account? A successful model.
Business is so good that the Otto team expands the range to include so-called hard goods: from 1956, bicycles and electrical appliances are also available to order. The business grows rapidly to a turnover of 100 million Deutschmarks in 1958.
The expansion
1960-
1979
In 1969, after a stopover in Hamburg-Hamm, the company moved to Hamburg-Bramfeld, where it still has its headquarters today.
The move to the new company headquarters symbolises the speed at which Werner Otto's mail order business expands - from new services such as the telephone order hotline, which sets Otto apart from other providers from 1963, to the introduction of the first electronic data processing, which automates many processes.
The global corporation
1980-
1990
In 1981, Werner's son Michael takes over as CEO, builds up businesses in France, Austria and Italy and acquires a stake in SportScheck and many other companies. The foundation stone for the international retail group Otto Group is laid. Michael also firmly anchored the sustainable use of resources and the environment in the corporate strategy - a principle that still applies today.
The evolution
1991-
1997
OTTO takes advantage of the technical conditions of the time at an early stage and launches its product range on CD-ROM, among other things, in the 1990s. With fully animated presenters and multimedia features, OTTO does real pioneering work on the PC.
The milestone came in 1995: OTTO launched its product range on the World Wide Web - at a time when only 250,000 people in Germany even had an Internet connection. By 1997, orders via the Internet already accounted for around seven per cent of total sales.
The millenium
2000-
2002
OTTO recognises early on that the Internet is more than just a new sales channel – it is radically changing the economy and society. Prof Dr Michael Otto develops more and more sustainable topics and is named Manager of the Year by Manager magazine in 2001.
During this time, Otto's favourite project ‘Cotton Made in Africa’ saw the light of day. A label that to this day stands for sustainable cotton cultivation and help for over a million cotton farmers and their families in Africa.
Digital progress
2007-
2014
The company utilises the opportunities of the digital world: in 2007, 500,000 articles are already available online, and one year later, online sales exceed those of traditional sales channels for the first time: Over 50 per cent of annual sales come from otto.de.
During these years, the focus is placed on shop technology, which is growing rapidly: OTTO programmes its own shop software in-house in 2013, and from 2014 otto.de is even fully responsive and optimised for every end device: PC, tablet, smartphone.
Paradigm shift
2015-
2018
In addition to the technological transformation, the company has also been undergoing a cultural change since 2015. The entire Otto Group is asking itself the question: How can we successfully digitalise analogue business models? OTTO is putting a lot of energy into reorganising workspaces, integrating new ways of working, working with agile methods and increasingly using data. Since 2016, the ‘you’ has been anchored right up to the Executive Board level.
2018 marks the end of a piece of German business history: the OTTO catalogue will be discontinued in December 2018 after 68 years. Its cover, once adorned by stars such as Claudia Schiffer and Heidi Klum, shows a smartphone with the phrase ‘I'll be an app’ on its final appearance. With this, OTTO finally announces its move into the digital future. Today, over 70 per cent of visits to the shop are made via mobile devices.
The transformation
2019-
2023
Despite continuously profitable growth, OTTO decided in 2019 to open up as a platform for partners. Customers now benefit from an even larger selection of 18 million items in the shop. More than 6,500 partners are now part of OTTO. At the same time, the company is adding high-reach advertising solutions to its business-to-business portfolio. With OTTO Payments, the company is also establishing its own financial services provider.
OTTO today (and tomorrow)
2024-
tomorrow
In 2024, OTTO will open its new headquarters on the Otto Group Campus in Hamburg-Bramfeld. The new headquarters will provide modern and flexible working environments for 3,000 employees on nine floors in a multi-space concept. Flexible spaces and modern technology are the basis for the work of the future. The entire organisation works in a comprehensive, cross-functional and topic-oriented manner.
Technological change is firmly anchored in the organisation at OTTO. Artificial intelligence can be found in all value streams today. The goal of hundreds of tech experts is to shape the digital future together.