4 months Ago
From Catalogue to E-Commerce Pioneer
Otto arrived in the Dutch market as a mail-order retailer for the first time in 1979. The company consolidated and then evolved its commercial strategy, concentrating on e-commerce at the start of the 2000s. It had fully gone online as of 2010, offering such products as clothing, home decor and electronics.
More recently, Otto launched a final sale on its Dutch website, confirming that it was exiting the country. The move follows an announcement made by Otto earlier in the year that revealed plans to centralise its operations in the Netherlands, as well as Austria and Switzerland, where efficiencies could be delivered.
Focusing on German-speaking markets
The Otto Group today confirmed that it will entirely withdraw from French operations after first shuttering its operations in France.Supertodayota. This is seen as more of a strategic move to better the business and focus presence in areas where Otto has a stronger market.
At the moment, about 70 people work for Otto in the Netherlands. But so far, no official notice has been given about whether they will be laid off due to the market exit.
For those who have been shopping at the retailer since it was still a catalogue company, the departure of Otto in his woollen scarf and cigar is pretty much the end of an era in Dutch retail.
