Officeworks appears to have openly targeted key JB Hi Fi categories with plans to expand their mobile phone, PC and TV offerings this year. with the Wesfarmer owned retailer struggling to honour their ‘Lowest Prices Everyday Claim”.

The  problem for the big stationary retailer is that JB Hi Fi appears to be hitting back and is  currently selling cheaper printer inks notebooks and smartphones than what the Wesfarmers Officeworks stores are already selling, despite their price match guarantees.

At last week’s Wesfarmers briefing Officeworks management claimed that they plan to expand their network by 10 new stores in FY26, with 6 new stores immediately with an expansion into traditional JB Hi Fi categories high on their agenda.

ChannelNews discussions with multiple suppliers suggests that key Officeworks management want to sell “more than staples” as one person described it with ex Harvey Norman management who are now working at Officeworks after being rejected for a buyers job at JB Hi Fi, moving to target key JB Hi Fi categories in an effort to grow revenues in select categories.

“The only problem is that JB Hi Fi has a lower cost of operation than Officeworks and this is always going to be a problem for them” said one insider.

The move comes as sister retailer Bunnings, moves to target Super Cheap Auto with a move into their categories spanning automotive and accessories.

Recent visits to Officeworks stills reveal that on floor staff are reluctant to match JB Hi Fi prices despite their key promise to consumers.

In their brief to financial analysts last week Officeworks biggest expansion appears to be in the mobile phone market where JB Hi Fi dominates.

Officeworks management claim that they are currently running ongoing trials to provide a complete customer offer of mobile devices including post-paid telco plans with the Company also expanding their sales operation to support their anticipated growth in mobile phone sales.

Currently Office works mobile offerings are significantly higher than what JB are offering with a Samsung S25 Ultra with 256Mb of memory $1,985 at Officeworks while JB Hi Fi is offering the same premium smartphone for $1,649.

The same applies to Officeworks printer ink category where the Wesfarmer owned store is raking in millions selling overpriced inks.

An investigation by ChannelNews reveals that JB Hi Fi is up to 20-30% cheaper on inks than Officeworks across multiple brands of printers.

An Epson 702 DURABrite Ultra Standard Capacity Ink Cartridge (Value Pack) is selling at JB Hi Fi for 78% while the same pack at Officeworks is $94.

For HP printer owners the difference is massive with Officeworks charging $78 for a single Black HP 65XL High Yield Original Ink Cartridge, the same cartridge is $58 at JB Hi Fi.

Several people have told ChannelNews that Officeworks could be losing tens of thousands in lost margin due to their price battle with JB Hi Fi.

According to JB Hi Fi management the big CE retailer is tipped to respond by targeting other key office supply products and services where Officeworks generates a large percentage of their sales.

In the appliance and small appliance market Kmart Group’s new managing director Aleks Spaseska claims the Wesfarmers owned retailers is set to use the Kmart house brand Anko to strip sales from competitors.

She believes that Wesfarmers could double sales by giving the rights to the brand to other retailers in foreign markets.

The brand which was established in 2019 is predominantly wrapped around products manufactured in China, is powering the Companies growth.

It also represents a significant portion of Kmart’s sales, with Anko products accounting for 85% of the chain’s total revenue.

Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott says the Anko brand is a critical future growth plank.

The company is also developing its Atomica brand in a bid to capitalise on the booming demand for beauty and skincare products.

Wesfarmers shares have fallen almost 2% since last week’s briefing with the stock trading at $82.07.

JB Hi Fi’s stock is trading at $107.74 up 2.88% since the Wesfarmers briefing.