Michal Szlas, founder and CEO of online mattress retailer Otty is taking his bed-in-a-box concept to Germany as part of his plans to disrupt the retail marketplace and reach annual sales this year of £8m to £10m.

Michal, who moved from Poland to Yorkshire when he was 14, set up the business in 2016 and achieved pre-tax profits of £70,000 on revenues of £1.7m in Otty’s first year of trading. His vision and growth plans now include overseas expansion with investment in a new office in Berlin. This will help the firm to access the European market, building on its success in the UK. He then plans to expand into the Netherlands.

As a former keen free runner and active person, Michal understands the importance of having the right mattress and wanted to offer a quality product which could be bought online. In January, Otty secured £1.5m of investment, enabling it to invest further in its factory in China. It orders 2,000 to 3,000 units monthly from the factory and which it delivers across the UK.

The firm is undertaking a trial with Next and it also has a showroom in Leeds. All other sales come direct from online customers and Otty offers them the chance to try the product and return it if it’s not right for them.

Michal comments: “We aren’t the first online mattress company but we are all disrupting the traditional retail stores. While we have some products in stores, we are trying to keep the focus online.

“I feel we are different to everybody else because I have found the right supplier and focused on product quality. We are also certainly the best priced.”

Otty currently employs eight staff with the number likely to increase when the business moves into German and Dutch markets.

Commenting on the German expansion, Michal said: “Before deciding on moving to Germany we undertook a great deal of analysis of the marketplace there, which told us we had to create something different to meet the demand of its consumers. We developed new products to meet these requirements and feel confident they can replicate abroad the success we’ve had at home.

“Our Leeds office will still act as our headquarters, but having a presence abroad allows us to take the next steps to fulfilling the ambitions we have as a business. Having analysed the German marketplace, we feel there is a real opportunity for us to get a foothold overseas and develop our products and the brand further.”