Successful financial year 2025/26: The Otto Group posts significant progress across all profit levels

Forecasts met at Group level
The Otto Group grew its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to 641 million euros, which, as forecast, is significantly up on the figure for the same period last year (276 million euros), making it by far its best result in terms of earnings for the Otto Group in the post-pandemic period. Petra Scharner-Wolff, Chair of the Otto Group: “We have comfortably achieved our targets and further strengthened the Group’s financial base. We remain clearly focused on driving profitability, while at the same time making highly targeted investments in growth and innovation.”

In a demanding market environment, the Otto Group continued to hold its ground, generating revenue of 13.8 billion euros. Although the Otto Group’s reported revenue for the prior year amounted to 15 billion euros, this included revenue from the About You Group, which was sold during the 2025/26 financial year. Reported revenue figures fell in absolute terms, but the Otto Group has managed to keep its consolidated revenue stable taking into account this significant change in the scope of consolidation.

Petra Scharner-Wolff adds: “The Otto Group can look back on an extremely successful financial year. We have translated our words into action. Against a background of tariff disputes, old and – regrettably – new military conflicts, as well as a consumer climate that remains subdued, this is a remarkable achievement that allows us to look back on the past financial year with a great deal of satisfaction.”

Overall, there has been a marked improvement in operational performance across all areas of the business. EBITDA also rose from 916 million euros in the prior year to 1,132 million euros in the 2025/26 financial year. Profit for the year rose from 165 million euros to 312 million euros. At 34.3 percent, the Group equity ratio remains at a very comfortable level. The debt service ratio remains stable at the prior year’s level.

The Otto Group’s workforce averaged around 34,800 full-time equivalents in 2025/26.

Successful scaling in line with the Strategy 2030
With over 42 million customers worldwide in the 2025/26 financial year, the Otto Group has reinforced its market position. The Otto Group continues to focus on strengthening successful business models that manifest significant growth potential. These form the core of its portfolio and are at the heart of its Strategy 2030.

Petra Scharner-Wolff: “We will continue to scale our successful business models, such as OTTO, Crate and Barrel, and Eos, to steadily increase our market share and relevance. By 2030, we aim to significantly expand our financial freedom, invest strategically in growth and technology, and take the revenue and profits arising from our core portfolio to new heights.”

A glance at the portfolio illustrates the trend.

• OTTO increased its platform revenue – its Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) – by 6 percent to around 7.5 billion euros (revenue under IFRS up 7 percent to 4.7 billion euros). Overall, OTTO is growing much faster than the competition in Germany and has again gained market share. The number of active customers climbed by four percent to 12.6 million and the product range has been expanded to over 19 million items. Further expansion is planned as part of the marketplace’s internationalization effort. By 2026, retailers from the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, France and Spain are also expected to be able to offer their product ranges on the OTTO marketplace.
• Despite the highly challenging US market and an array of political uncertainties, the Crate and Barrel Group, a homeware and lifestyle retailer in North America, has reported currency-adjusted sales growth of 1.6 percent. In addition, the group was again able to improve on its already strong performance. With 6.4 million active customers, Crate and Barrel has managed to respond very quickly to changing market conditions, further diversify its sourcing markets and stabilise its supply chains. At the same time, Crate and Barrel is continuing its omnichannel growth strategy and, over the next few financial years, plans to add a further 30 to 40 stores in North America to the more than 100 it currently operates.
• The Eos Group has increased its investment volume to over 1 billion euros in the 2025/26 financial year (prior year: just over 800 million euros), thereby reinforcing its commitment to an opportunity-driven investment strategy. With significant NPL (non-performing loan) transactions in countries including France, Germany, Portugal, Poland and Bulgaria, as well as in smaller markets such as North Macedonia and Slovakia, the Eos Group has once again confirmed its strong position in Europe. Investment volume is set to increase even further.

Technological competitiveness a key factor for the future
In 2025/26, the Otto Group strengthened its technological competitiveness and innovative capacity, a key objective of the new Group strategy. In particular, technology and AI are being exploited to further strengthen the company’s future viability.

For example, the Otto Group is working with Nvidia, the world leader in accelerated computing, and IT specialist Reply to implement the concept of a self-thinking warehouse, using Physical AI and the ‘Robotic Coordination Layer’ – an in-house development that, for the first time, intelligently connects all of the Group’s robot fleets and controls them in real time.

OTTO, meanwhile, has developed a new AI assistant based on Google’s Gemini technology to help customers search for products within the app. It processes natural language input via text or voice chat, interprets customer needs in context, and provides suitable product recommendations. OTTO also provides its customers with an AI assistant developed in-house to handle service enquiries.

In the next few financial years, the Otto Group is planning to invest some 350 million euros in technology and AI.

A third generation heading towards an ambitious future
In March 2026, Benjamin Otto succeeded his father, Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, as Chair of the Foundation Board and Shareholders’ Council, assuming strategic leadership of the Otto Group. This change of generation has set the course for the international Otto Group to move into a bright future under third-generation leadership, guided by sound business principles and strengthened by its values. The importance of sustainable trade and business practices remains undiminished with the Otto Group emphasising its clear commitment to continuing to combine commercial success with social and economic responsibility in the future.

The 2026/27 financial year will also be characterised by challenging conditions. Despite trade and geopolitical risks as well as the market and competitive environment, which remains demanding, the Otto Group is aiming to build on the success of 2025/26 in terms of its key financial indicators relating to revenue, profitability and debt levels. The goal is to maintain the levels of revenue and profitability (EBIT) seen in the 2025/26 financial year.

“In the medium term, our aim remains to achieve significant revenue growth and to improve our operating profit even further. In the ongoing, persistently taxing environment, we are looking to place even greater emphasis on performance. We are actively shaping the future by being ambitious in continuing along our chosen path, using our robust balance sheet to invest in tech and AI,” says Petra Scharner-Wolff, adding: “Our goal for 2030 is to build a scalable, high-performing portfolio of strong, competitive and technology-driven companies that inspire our customers and act responsibly.”

* The year-on-year change on a like-for-like basis reflects revenue growth adjusted for the effects of changes in the scope of consolidation and exchange rate fluctuations. In the 2025/26 financial year, the sale of About You and the movement in the US dollar-to-euro exchange rate had a significant impact on the reported revenue figures and have been adjusted accordingly.