The Otto group, or Otto (GmbH & Co KG) (formerly Otto Versand), is the world's largest mail order company, operating in more than 20 countries.[1] The family of executive board chairman Michael Otto owns the majority of the company. The company is based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded by Werner Otto in 1950.[2] The first, hand produced, catalog offered 28 styles of shoes. During the 1950's the range and the business expands rapidly. Otto introduced telephone orders in 1963 and went online in 1995. [3]
They were the former owners of Spiegel, Inc., (the parent company of Eddie Bauer and former owners of Spiegel catalog), which filed for bankruptcy on March 17, 2003. On May 25, 2005, Spiegel, Inc., emerged from bankruptcy renamed Eddie Bauer Holdings and was primarily owned by Commerzbank.
[edit] Subsidiaries
Individual companies of the Otto Group:
- Alba Moda
- Baumarkt Direct
- Baur
- bonprix
- Crate and Barrel (100%)
- EOS
- Frankonia
- Freemans Grattan Holdings
- Hanseatic Bank (25%)
- Hanseatic Versicherungsdienst
- Hansecontrol
- Heine
- Hermes Europe
- Hermes-OTTO International
- Küche&Co
- Lascana
- Limango
- Manufactum
- Mirapodo
- MyToys.de (74.8%)
- OFT
- OTTO
- OTTO Doosan Mail Order
- OTTO Group Russia
- OTTO Japan
- OTTO Office
- Phi-t products & services (50%)
- Schwab
- Shopping24
- Smatch.com
- SportScheck
- 3 Suisses International Group (51%)
- Witt Weiden
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 53°36′3.17″N 10°4′21.12″E / 53.6008806°N 10.0725333°E / 53.6008806; 10.0725333
