[2][5] The following year, the first printed catalogue comprised 28 pages and offered an extended product range, which subsequently further diversified in the 1950s and included, among others, porcelain, bicycles, and electrical appliances.

When postal strikes and higher rates posed a threat to operations in 1972, the delivery service Hermes Versand was established.

[9] Throughout the following years, the Otto Group continued its expansion into Spain, Italy, Great Britain and other markets.

[5] Otto Group entered the US market in 1998 by acquiring a stake in the Chicago-based furniture store Crate & Barrel.

[12] The last printed edition of the Otto main catalogue was published in December 2018, as around 95% of all orders were received digitally by this point.

The activities of the Otto Group's business include e-commerce, over-the-counter retail, and catalogue sales channels.

[20] Hermes was again criticized by a major newspaper in 2021, when a The Times article published allegations about the mishandling of packages and bad customer service.