&Partners merges with kwpx

National branding agency kwpx and Perth boutique creative firm &Partners will merge to expand both companies’ operations in the state.

The companies announced kwpx will be taking a financial stake in &Partners with the new entity to be rebranded to kwpx&partners.

Under the deal, &Partners clients will have access to kwpx’s national resources and vice versa.

According to the announcement, significant ownership and autonomy of &Partners will remain in Western Australia.

&Partners founders Dav Tabeshfar and Bryan Dennis said their business model was a good way to stay lean but had limited the kind of clients and briefs they were able to look after.

“Our business model, although efficient and effective, has meant that we’ve not needed to grow our salaried numbers,” they said in a statement.

“We’ve always scaled up and down, building teams around briefs.

“The relationship with kwpx will mean we can have permanent digital, media and strategic resources in place, while retaining the ability to build production, branding and creative teams with local expertise, around Western Australian clients.”

kwpx chief executive David O’Loughlin said some of the company’s clients, including Tourism NT and Coopers Brewery, have been looking for partners in WA for some time.

“The opportunities are here, as is the talent and the independent spirit,” he said.

kwpx has offices in Adelaide and Darwin.