The Hamburg trading group Otto goes offline in the Netherlands.
The management and the Advisory Board of Otto BV intend to stop and shut down all commercial activities on the Dutch market, said a company spokeswoman at the request of fashionunited. Previously, several media, such as the Fachtische Lebenschaftzung, had already reported on it.
The reason for this are considerable loss of business and a lack of economic prospects of the Dutch offshoot – inside and outside the international dealer network. This decision affects 70 employees who work at the Dutch branch. A detailed plan for the closure process, including a specific schedule, is currently being developed, according to the spokeswoman.
End after international merger
The message follows after the Otto Group created an international dealer in October: interior network under the roof of the BAUR group. Together with the subsidiary Otto Austria Group and Otto Netherlands, a network of dealers should be formed under this roof: inside the Otto Group for the markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Stephan Elsner and Achim Güllmann, Managing Director of the Baur Group as well as Harald Gutschi, Managing Director Otto Austria Group, have been managed by the dealer network. Gutschi is said to drive sales activities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as Chief of Sales in close coordination with Elsner, according to Hamburg. Eric Haverkort, who heads Otto Netherlands, takes over the areas of Logistic Management, Customer Service, IT and Facilities & Support Service as Chief of Staff.
Unlike in Germany, the OTTO BV does not operate an e-commerce platform, but a dealer incept.
This post was updated on August 4, 2025 at 12.09 p.m. with further information from Otto.