The Creative Store

The Creative Store is a specialist creative recruitment and talent-staffing agency serving advertising, digital, design, marketing, media and technology businesses. Founded in Auckland in 2012, it connects employers with freelance, contract and permanent talent across New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The agency operates as an intermediary recruitment partner rather than a production or digital-development studio. Its work centres on identifying, qualifying and placing creative, technical and commercial professionals for client teams and projects.

Recruitment services

• Freelance and contract staffing for assignments ranging from single-day cover to engagements of six months or more.
• Permanent recruitment through contingent and retained search, including candidate qualification and reference checking.
• Flexible contractor administration, including timesheet management, invoicing, PAYE and withholding-tax processes.
• Talent market insight through salary surveys, freelance-rate tracking and research into evolving creative-sector roles.

The Creative Store recruits across a broad range of disciplines, including creative direction, art direction, graphic and motion design, UX/UI design, web and mobile development, copywriting, account management, digital marketing, social media, content creation, and studio and production management.

Sector focus

Its client markets include creative and advertising agencies, digital and UX consultancies, in-house brand and e-commerce teams, media and content-production businesses, technology and SaaS companies, and startup and venture-capital ecosystems. The agency supports employers seeking both specialist creative capability and digital or technical talent.

Founded by recruitment consultant Louise Lawton, the business expanded from New Zealand into Australia in 2016 and the United Kingdom in 2023. Its regional operations are managed under a unified leadership structure while serving local creative employment markets.

For employers, The Creative Store offers a structured hiring process that includes portfolio review and dual reference checks, alongside a three-month replacement guarantee for permanent placements. For freelancers and contractors, it provides an online portal for time tracking and supports the administrative requirements associated with contract engagements.