The year 2026 got off to a vigorous start: We became the first retailer in Europe to develop an innovative logistics solution in collaboration with the leading tech company Nvidia.

Early in the year, we stopped off at the leading international trade fair, the NRF, in New York City on our way to the advisory board meeting at Crate and Barrel, one of the most successful companies in the Otto Group.

Aside from immersing ourselves in technology and future trends, we were able to announce our international collaboration with Nvidia: We will be adding physical artificial intelligence (AI) to our logistics to take the next step in robotics and automation – for faster deliveries and improved customer service. 

We also harnessed the transformative power of generative AI early on. Over the course of the last year, we systematically embedded these tools more deeply within the customer journey and our workflows. 

Not only does this improve efficiency, it also opens the door to an entirely new shopping experience for our customers. Innovation is integral to our DNA. It gives me great pleasure to see how willingly we, as the Otto Group, are taking on a leading role in the technologies shaping tomorrow’s world – AI in particular – and are setting clear trends.

We also made this clear at the European Digital Sovereignty Summit in November 2025 in Berlin: as the Otto Group, we will invest around €350 million in technology and AI in the medium term. We are clearly focused on the future.

The 2025/26 financial year, which came to a conclusion at the end of February, has strengthened our foundations for ongoing development. We find ourselves in a demanding environment with geopolitical and global economic challenges and persistent consumer reticence in our key markets. We countered this with a clear development of our strategic priorities.

We are seeing a positive trend in revenue and earnings, particularly on the e-commerce platform OTTO, the experience and service-oriented business of the furniture and lifestyle provider Crate and Barrel and the valuable financial portfolio of the international Eos Group.

Doing so will secure the Otto Group's income, cash and investment capabilities. On the other hand, we are also consolidating and restructuring in response to challenging times. We are therefore steering the Group into the future and creating space for important investments.