Novel idea for the future

Marbecks has been in business for 75 years. Photo / Supplied

Music and movies will fuse with books and coffee next month when music specialist Marbecks opens a concept store in Dunedin.

Marbecks' managing director Roger Harper describes it as a "boutique Borders", complete with a cafe. If it is successful, more stores will be rolled out around the country.

Alongside this move, The CD and DVD Store, which bought Marbecks three years ago, is being rebranded as Marbecks next week.

"We are increasing the amount of merchandise we do - T-shirts, headphones, posters and books - so the brand name of The CD and DVD Store is a bit restrictive," Harper says.

Locally owned and operated, Marbecks turns 75 this month, and Harper says it is a major initiative for the company to get into books and provide "a real shopping experience" in the retail space, as well as embracing technology and providing a full range in the online and digital space.

The marbecks.co.nz website has been trading for more than 10 years, and Harper says the company is ramping up the online side of its business, introducing books, hardware and T-shirts to its existing music, movie and game products.

Its own music download service is also in the pipeline.

"Initially, we viewed downloading as a threat, now we are working it into our business strategy, seeing it as an opportunity - we're not going to sell more CDs tomorrow."

With vinyl in vogue, it's back on the store shelves beside retro-styled record players. "If you can survive and look to the future, there are opportunities in the trends," says Harper.

"What we're selling is art and passion, not a commodity, and we know we can sell it. There is still a side of the market that wants to discover things, wants to be told what's cool and what's new."

The past few years have been difficult for The CD and DVD Stores, he says: "We're almost the last man standing."

Things have been better since most of the competition has gone bust, and Harper says music and movies have always been recession-proof because people buy them as a cheap, feelgood thing.

The book market is starting to face the same difficulties that the music market experienced years ago, but Harper sees it as dominated by players who are not specialists.

"I wouldn't call Whitcoulls, The Warehouse or Paper Plus specialists."

The new Marbecks stores will be less focused on "Dan Brown-type" top sellers and will instead offer a wide range of good books.

And they will be run by older staff than those usually seen in The CD and DVD Store. Bruce Caddy, former owner of Dymocks on Lambton Quay and long-time member of the book trade, is moving to Dunedin to set up the first store.

They won't pop up in malls either - Harper envisions destination stores in character premises, with the look of a cafe and fashion store, and says: "We won't be using a cookie-cutter approach."

The Dunedin store will open in the upmarket new Wall St complex. "It's a good market for books, being a university town," Harper says.

The CD and DVD Store in Dunedin will close after Christmas.