Do we like them?

Do we like Officeworks?

Office supplies, tech and print retailer with stores and online sales across Australia; head office in Chadstone, Melbourne.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent, fairly clean retailer with real recycling and emissions efforts. A long-running pay dispute and a product recall hold it back, so we'd back it, but not warmly.

Officeworks is Wesfarmers' office-supplies chain. Wesfarmers bought it in 2007 as part of the A$21 billion Coles Group deal. It's now sold to households and small businesses, and Wesfarmers has since run it as one of its retail divisions.

Leadership changed in 2025. Sarah Hunter stepped down as Managing Director after more than six years. She was succeeded by John Gualtieri, who had been CEO of Kmart and Target. Wesfarmers said the focus is on omnichannel, technology and business-to-business growth.

The staff story is the sore spot. In 2022 the shop workers' union (the SDA) took Officeworks to the Federal Court, alleging staff weren't rostered properly or paid overtime. It said this came after the Fair Work Commission ruled for the union and rejected an appeal. Officeworks disputed the allegations. We couldn't find the outcome.

On the green side, Officeworks runs a free 'Bring it Back' recycling scheme. It says it has recycled more than 7,000 tonnes of waste since 2015, and that it hit its 2025 scope 1 and 2 emissions target two years early. Both are company claims, reported by trade press.

It's not all smooth. ChannelNews reported that up to 20 senior managers were axed in late 2025, and that insiders expect a shift toward house brands. It also reported a recall of Comsol chargers that the ACCC said could cause injury. Our score is 6: a decent retailer, but with a pay dispute we couldn't see resolved.