Retailer has tech, B2B and education competitors in its sights.

 

Officeworks has embarked on a multi-year transformation, built on five strategic priorities.

 

Officeworks said it plans to target large B2B contracts by becoming a one-stop shop with tech solutions and education at the top of its ‘hit list’.

 

The reseller outlined the strategy during a presentation at parent company Wesfarmers’ Strategy Briefing Day, where managing director John Gualtieri (pictured) highlighted significant growth opportunities in the B2B and education sectors.

 

Describing the market as large and highly fragmented, Gualtieri said Officeworks aimed to become the leading player by expanding beyond its traditional product categories. The company estimates the addressable market for workplace facilities supplies at around $3 billion (, alongside opportunities worth approximately $1 billion in education resources and $5 billion in SME technology services. 

 

“We know that businesses, schools and early learning centres have broader needs than our core offering,” said Gualtieri. “To close these critical gaps, we’re expanding into workplace facilities and the education resources categories.”

 

The OPI Top 100 reseller plans to support this expanded product and services portfolio – aimed at government organisations, large corporate accounts and education institutions – via what it described as a “high-performance, AI-enabled sales engine”.

 

Education remains a particular focus. Earlier this year, the company launched its Officeworks for Education proposition, bringing together products, services and the Box of Books platform acquired in late 2024. Gualtieri said the initiative would create a unified destination for education customers and help embed Officeworks more deeply into school procurement workflows.

 

Turning to the wider store offering, technology is another major growth pillar. According to Gualtieri, technology products already account for close to 60 per cent of Officeworks’ sales, but the company now wants to evolve from being a technology retailer into a solutions-led technology partner.

 

As part of this strategy, Officeworks will expand its Geeks2U services business, launch a refreshed post-paid telecoms offer and deploy specialist technology advisers across its entire store network. 

 

The reseller is also broadening its technology offer into categories such as smart home, health technology, gaming and kidult products – something it hopes will attract a younger demographic.

 

Officeworks also plans to strengthen its omnichannel capabilities as customer shopping habits continue to evolve. Gualtieri noted that around 80 per cent of shopping journeys now begin online, prompting the reseller to invest in areas ranging from agentic commerce and third-party marketplaces to mobile apps and faster fulfilment. Working with partners such as Google, Officeworks is developing agent-to-agent shopping capabilities while also expanding its reach through online marketplaces, including launching on K-12 education platforms.

 

The company is aggressively pursuing a lower-cost operating model that includes restructuring support functions, establishing a ‘global capability centre’ in India and relocating a significant portion of customer contact operations to the Philippines. 

 

In merchandising, Officeworks is simplifying ranges, reducing the number of brands in selected categories and increasing its focus on own-brand products. A major strategic move in this area has been to transition global sourcing operations to Wesfarmers-owned Anko Sourcing,

 

Officeworks is also reviewing its store portfolio, with plans to continue opening outlets in attractive locations while consolidating less profitable sites where appropriate. In the current financial year, net growth is expected to come in at three stores.

 

For more reporting on this story by OPI, go to https://www.opi.net/news/region/003-australasia/officeworks-targets-faci...