KEY POINTS:
The departure of the Marbeck family from Queen St marks the end of an era for Auckland retailing.
But the new owners of Marbecks Record Shop, The CD and DVD Store, say they will keep the family brand name that has been a part of what was called
"The Golden Mile" for more than seven decades.
Marbecks in Queens Arcade in downtown Auckland is the largest outlet for classical music recordings in New Zealand.
But it is still tiny in a music retail sector that is dominated by big chains and increasingly by global online retailers such as iTunes.
"They have kept something special in music retailing and we want to continue with that," said Roger Harper, managing director of The CD and DVD Store, which has 30 outlets.
The biggest factor affecting such retailers is CD burning - copying - and download sales from the internet, with all retailers including Marbecks trying to develop an online presence.
But Harper said Marbecks had bucked the industry trend through the upheavals and its sales had risen.
It had focused on service and advice that was especially popular with older customers.
Harper intends to develop and market the www.marbecks.co.nz website and will retain the classical music part of its operations.
Past owners Murray and Roger Marbeck sold out late last year but the change hasn't been highlighted by new owners keen to focus on the Marbecks brand.
Yorkshireman Alfred Marbeck was a music fan who arrived from Sheffield and formed the store in 1934 with his brother in-law Noel Wade.
Wade left and Marbeck's sons Murray and Haydn joined the store in 1947. Haydn left the company in 1990 and was replaced by Murray's son Roger, who focused on popular music.
For eight years during the 1990s Marbecks developed a large-scale outlet in Queen St, which later closed.
Roger Marbeck said Harper had approached the company at the right time, as he and Murray were considering its future. He had seen limited options for the store.
Roger Marbeck bought Ode Records and is now operating in the wholesale side of the business.
Real Groovy Records managing partner Marty O'Donnell said the record business had changed a lot. Apart from the advent of CD burning, one of the most fundamental changes had been the growth of The Warehouse, which offers big discounts.
O'Donnell said Marbecks' approach had been similar to Real Groovy's - to keep a large selection of records in stock.
