Marketforce has named Simon Lamplough CEO of 303 Perth, effective immediately, following its acquisition of the Western Australian independent agency. Lamplough spent five years as marketing chief at Kitchen Warehouse, where he led digital transformation and category expansion before the retailer's $170 million sale to Spotlight Group in 2023.
The appointment arrives three months after Marketforce acquired 303 Perth in a deal estimated at $8-12 million by industry observers. Terms were not disclosed. The Perth shop employs 45 people and holds retainers with HBF Health, Western Power, and Tourism WA. Marketforce itself operates across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth with 220 employees and billings estimated at $85 million annually. The parent company is majority-owned by Seven West Media.
Lamplough's move reflects a pattern playing out across mid-tier Australian agencies: acquire regional shops with government and utilities clients, install operators with retail-marketing backgrounds who understand margin discipline and performance media, and consolidate back-office functions while preserving local client relationships. Kitchen Warehouse under Lamplough grew email revenue by 43% year-over-year in 2022 and shifted 60% of paid media to performance channels. Those numbers matter because government clients and utilities are now demanding similar attribution rigor.
The Western Australian market presents specific economics. State government agencies allocated $47 million to paid media in the 2023 financial year, up 11% from prior year, according to Nielsen data. Tourism WA alone spent $18 million. Regional agencies like 303 Perth historically captured 25-30% of that spend, but eastern-state holding companies have been moving senior operators into Perth to chase the allocation. Lamplough's retail tenure gives him fluency in dashboards and conversion metrics that state clients increasingly require in pitch responses.
Marketforce CEO John Preston did not disclose whether Lamplough holds equity in 303 Perth post-acquisition. The lack of disclosure suggests a salary package rather than earnout structure, which would align with Marketforce's historical approach to bolt-on acquisitions. The company acquired digital shop Loud&Clear in 2019 and folded it into core operations within 18 months. Whether 303 Perth retains independence or gets absorbed depends on client retention over the next two quarters.
Operators should watch for staff departures at 303 Perth in Q2 2025. Retail marketers moving into agency CEO roles often face culture friction with creative leads who resist performance-marketing language. Kitchen Warehouse ran lean teams with tight turnaround expectations; agencies with government retainers operate on longer approval cycles and committee-driven briefs. If senior creative or strategy personnel leave before mid-year, it signals integration tension. Allocators with Western Australian exposure should also track whether Tourism WA consolidates its roster in its next review, expected August 2025. A consolidation would force 303 Perth to defend its retainer against eastern-state challengers.
Marketforce reported 12% revenue growth in its last financial filing. The 303 Perth acquisition gives it deeper Western Australian penetration at a time when state government clients are beginning to preference local agencies in tender scoring.