• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, July 12, 2016

Publicis Groupe has formed a new, as-yet-unnamed “entity” to to service Walmart. The relationship, which went into effect July 1, initially applies to Walmart’s U.S. advertising and in-store creative, for which the Publicis entity will serve as the “primary” agency of record.

“Walmart will also have access to resources outside of marketing, including capabilities to support corporate reputation and technology that builds relationships with customers,” Publicis said in a statement announcing the new service model.

“Our ambition globally is to make every day easier for busy families, and having best-in-class marketing is critical to achieving that goal,” said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart Stores, Inc.

“This relationship with Publicis Groupe will help us think and act differently, which will ultimately enable us to serve our customers even better,” Walmart Stores President and CEO Doug McMillon added in a statement.

The entity will be led by  Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Communications.

The entity follows a string of on-again, off-again developments between Publicis and Walmart in recent months. In February, Walmart pulled its massive media-buying account from Publicis’ Mediavest unit, after a 10-year relationship.

In March, Publicis restructured its media operations, effectively consolidating them under Publicis Media, which includes Zenith, Starcom, Mediavest/Spark, Optimedia/Blue449.

In April, Walmart U.K. supermarket subsidiary Asada appointed Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi and Zenith as it’s new creative and media shops.