OTTO is embarking on this growth journey from its base in Hamburg. Ongoing developments in the field of AI commerce are profoundly impacting the strategic thrust and are making a significant contribution to scalability. Opening the OTTO marketplace to international partners will stimulate growth as well.

With the continuous expansion of its AI program, OTTO is focusing on technological excellence and real customer proximity, supporting its ambitions to expand direct customer access and position OTTO as a leading player in the emerging AI-powered commerce segment. The new AI-based shopping assistant – which enables customers to engage in real-time dialog – and the integration of the Virtual Content Creator (AI-powered image production) will significantly enhance the customer journey.

The number of active customers has risen to 12.6 million and the GMV has increased to around €7.5 billion (based on the past 2025/26 financial year). Both the retail business and the marketplace are experiencing positive growth – underpinned by a targeted expansion of the product range: This includes the launch of the own home & living brand ‘OTTO home’, the integration of the first online pharmacies, the range of long-life food products and the steadily growing ‘wellbeing’ segment. Books will also be incorporated into the platform. Partners from the Netherlands have been offering their product ranges on the OTTO marketplace since April 2026. Suppliers from Poland, Austria, France and Spain will follow by the end of the year. Danish retailers are also expected to start selling on the platform in early 2027.

“Internationalization of the marketplace is an important step for us to further expand our curated product range and, at the same time, to give quality partners from other EU countries access to our high-reach platform”, says Dr. Boris Ewenstein, CEO OTTO.

The retail media business has also experienced meaningful development: OTTO now automatically markets data-driven advertising space on its proprietary demand-side platform. Advertising partners can book their own ads in real time – an important step towards more efficient management of the advertising business. At the same time, improvements in compliance processes ensure greater quality and transparency on the marketplace – a reliable, secure and transparent platform that builds trust among customers and partners.

The combination of an extensive product range, continuous technological development, high brand appeal, marketplace internationalization and strong services – including furnishing and installation services as well as next-day deliveries, including shipping goods, at no extra charge – positions OTTO as a driver of future growth well beyond the conventional marketplace model.

The Eos Group demonstrates how financial services can be successfully scaled across local markets. Targeted investments, a focus on advanced technologies and consistent leveraging of growth opportunities – including the development of new markets – lend Eos a dynamism that positively impacts the growth and robustness of the entire Otto Group.

Its success builds on over five decades of experience, profound expertise in the purchase of NPL portfolios (non-performing loans) and a fair approach to defaulting payers.

Eos has a clear ambition to be among the top three in the industry across all relevant markets. This is made possible by operational excellence, digitization and close cooperation with an international group operating in over twenty European countries.

Marwin Ramcke, CEO of the Eos Group: “Our growth is rooted in experience, international collaboration and entrepreneurial spirit – three factors that place us among Europe's leading providers in the field of debt purchase. We also act sustainably and responsibly.”

Eos was awarded a Gold Medal by EcoVadis in December 2025, placing it among the top five percent of the world's most sustainable companies.

International networking and close cooperation within the Group make a significant contribution to this positive development. In Portugal, Eos has shown how quickly and successfully new markets can be developed. Through investments in receivables portfolios, the company increased its total assets under management by more than 50 percent within one year. This enormous scaling was also successfully implemented in the downstream processing of receivables, largely thanks to the Kollecto+ debt collection system, the company's IT flagship that had originally been developed for the local Romanian market. The proprietary, cloud-based receivables managment system digitizes processes in 13 countries and creates a fully scalable, Groupwide operating model. In doing so, the company is laying the foundations for consistent organizational, technological and process-related work across countries – as a basis for growth, efficiency and scalability.

A clear view across the Atlantic: There, Crate and Barrel Holdings shows how growth can be achieved in the North American retail market. This builds on a stringent and well thought-out strategy: focusing on customer experience, sharpening product ranges and connecting shopping channels.

The organization’s success is anchored in putting the customer first. This is evidenced by significant investments in specialized services that guide customers through complex shopping journeys, including Interior Design, Wedding Registry, and Trade programs. By deepening this commitment to service, Crate and Barrel Holdings is building lifelong customer loyalty through a holistic shopping experience that transcends individual transactions.

However different their markets and sectors may be, the three companies OTTO, the Eos Group and Crate and Barrel Holdings are resolutely driving scaling, diversification and technological innovation. Their commitment is meaningfully strengthening the resilience and future viability of the entire Group.