History and founder
From humble beginnings in Hamburg-Schnelsen to the whole wide world — the history of the Otto Group reflects a lot: the impressive personality of the founder, the economic history of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the most recent economic developments in globalization.
Stories on Historie und Gründer
The milestones
1949
On August 17, the 40-year-old Werner Otto founds “Werner Otto Versandhandel,” a mail-order company. The company has three employees.
1950
The first Otto catalogue appears with a circulation of 300 copies. Its 14 pages contain offers of 28 shoe models. Under the motto of “Trust with Trust,” Otto is the first mail-order company in Germany to introduce payment by invoice.
1953
In less than two years, Otto quintuples its revenue. The circulation of the catalogue rises to 37,000 copies.
1956
The well-being of its employees enters into focus: Otto begins the five-day week.
1960
A place to grow: Otto-Versand moves to Hamburg-Bramfeld. This is where the Otto Group is based today.
1963
Otto heads down new paths: Customers can now call the number 040 61 10 81 to place orders—thanks to integrated data processing.
1970
Otto pursues a new dimension and generates revenue of over one billion in Deutsche Mark.
1972
Otto is no longer just a mail-order company now. The company moves further in the direction of a Group with the establishment of the delivery service Hermes.
1976
Otto acquires the majority of the shares in Schwab Versand. This makes the Group the third largest mail-order company in the world.
1981
Dr. Michael Otto becomes Chair of the Executive Board of the Otto Group. The Group does business internationally with numerous equity investments.
1986
It is also a forerunner in ecology: Environmental protection becomes an official corporate goal of the Otto Group.
1989
Numerous German and international retailers now belong to the Otto Group: Witt Weiden, Sport Scheck, Moden Müller, and Euronova. The Group becomes more international.
1993
Dr. Michael Otto founds the Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection. It advocates the protection and preservation of the essential element of life—water—and the habitats defined by water.
1995
Otto goes online: otto.de is one of the first mail-order companies in Germany to have a website with a large range of products.
1998
The Otto Group becomes a shareholder of the furniture company Crate & Barrel from Chicago and therefore also does business on the US market.
2000
After Amazon, the Otto Group is now the second-largest online retailer in the world.
2002
Otto Versand becomes OTTO.
2005
The Aid by Trade Foundation is founded by Michael Otto. Its goal is to preserve the foundations of life in the production countries.
2007
Michael Otto becomes Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group.
2008
Also a pioneer in climate protection: The Otto Group commits to a fifty percent reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2020. And it keeps its word.
2010
Motor e-commerce: The online retailer of the Otto Group reports strong growth. It is the most successful financial year in the company history with EUR 11.4 billion in revenue.
2011
Werner Otto dies at the age of 102. His spirit lives on in the Group, however—in the systematic commitment to responsible business practices.
2012
Michael Otto establishes the foundation 2°, which is now called the Climate Economy Foundation (Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft). Its goal is to counter climate change with market economy instruments.
2015
Michael Otto founded the public-benefit–oriented Michael Otto Foundation, into which he contributed the majority of the company shares of the Otto Group. Distributions from the Otto Group’s business operations are made available to the foundation for charitable purposes. In the same year, Benjamin Otto, the founder’s grandson, assumed responsibility within the group as a Managing Shareholder. The Otto Group increasingly focused on online business.
2016
The Otto Group initiated the “Culture Change 4.0,” aimed at achieving greater agility and diversity. The process ensures that the company remains fit for the future and can meet the demands of digital transformation.
2020
With the shareholder vision “Responsible commerce that inspires,” the group reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable economic activity and demonstrated how sustainable commerce can also be economically successful.
2023
At the end of 2023, Michael Otto founded another foundation, the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability. The foundation’s goal is to make an effective contribution to the future of people and nature. It is active in the areas of liberal democracy, human rights, biodiversity, and innovative education concepts.
2025
Petra Scharner-Wolff became CEO of the Otto Group, while Alexander Birken succeeded Michael Otto as Chair of the Supervisory Board of the corporate group. Michael Otto then became Honorary Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group.
2026
Benjamin Otto became Chair of the Foundation Council and the Shareholders’ Council of the Otto Group. With this step, Michael Otto handed over overall responsibility for the corporate group to the next generation.