Officeworks shifts media account from Initiative to PHD

What changed and what stayed the same inside Omnicom

Officeworks, the Wesfarmers-owned office supplies and technology chain with more than 170 stores across Australia, handed its media account to PHD Australia on 22 September 2026, ending its relationship with Initiative.^[1] The agency changed; the holding company did not. Both Initiative and PHD sit inside Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services arm of Omnicom Group, so OMG keeps the billings regardless of which network holds the brief.

In Australia, OMG operates three media agency networks: OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science.^[2] Moving Officeworks from one to another preserves group revenue while letting the holding company deploy its agencies against different parts of the retail market. For PHD, landing a flagship bricks-and-mortar retailer adds weight to its client list at a moment when OMG's Australian portfolio faces scrutiny over how it will be managed following the group's recent merger activity.

The spend, the pitch, and what neither agency has said

No confirmed media spend figure has been released by Officeworks, PHD or Initiative. Industry benchmarks estimate that top-tier Australian retail clients spend between A$20 million and A$50 million annually across media channels, driven by multi-channel campaigns and significant out-of-home investment.^[1] Any figure applied directly to Officeworks remains unverified.

Prompt the Market sought comment from Officeworks and Initiative on the pitch process, whether a specialist consultant managed the review, and the timeline of the decision. Neither party had responded at time of publication. Initiative has not commented publicly; Officeworks has not either, so the strategic rationale for the move stays unconfirmed.

Weatherlake's promotion and what PHD is telling the market about Melbourne

On the same day the Officeworks account move was announced, PHD Australia promoted Kathryn Weatherlake to managing director of its Melbourne office.^[3] Announcing a Melbourne leadership appointment on the day you land a major Melbourne-headquartered retail win puts both pieces of news in the same sentence every time the story runs.

PHD chief executive Laura Nice said of Weatherlake:

"Kathryn is one of the most respected and trusted leaders in our business. She combines deep client expertise with an unwavering commitment to our people and culture. Her curiosity and ambition embody the pioneering spirit we want to bring to everything we do. This promotion is thoroughly deserved, and I am delighted to see her take the next step leading our Melbourne office."

Officeworks is headquartered in Chadstone, Victoria, making Melbourne the natural home for day-to-day account management. Placing a newly promoted managing director in that office on the same morning the win becomes public functions as a statement about PHD's retail ambitions in the state, whatever the internal timing of the two decisions actually was.

OMD, PHD and Hearts & Science all operate under the same holding company roof, so any sizeable account movement between them gets read as evidence of how Omnicom intends to position its three networks against each other locally. The Officeworks move gives PHD a prominent retail name on its roster and gives industry observers a data point on where OMG sees PHD sitting in that retail conversation. Weatherlake's first day as Melbourne managing director was 22 September 2026.