Stationery staff return to work

Warehouse Stationery has opened a temporary store in Rotorua's Central Mall after a fire destroyed its premises.

All staff have retained their jobs and a temporary store opened on Sunday - exactly one month after the December fire gutted the former premises.

General manager of operations Paul Gionatti said the entire staff kept their jobs and were paid during their time off work.

"The support was amazing, it's pretty overwhelming."

Mr Gionatti said the store's Facebook page had received a wave of support after the fire, which ranked as the second worst incident during his four years as general manager, the biggest being the Christchurch earthquake.

"When the earthquake hit in Christchurch we were able to divert customers to other stores in the city, but this was our only store in Rotorua so we wanted to get a new place up and running quickly."

The goal was to move back to the old location once it was restored, Mr Gionatti said.

"The plan is to rebuild back there, but that's about nine months away. We are probably looking at October."

He said the cost of damage was complicated and the company was still working with the insurance company.

"We lost considerable income during the busy Christmas trading period."

The fire most likely originated from a fault in a light fitting, he said.

Staff member Winston Bowen said the temporary shop had re-opened just in time for the back-to-school rush.

"It's what we look forward to, it's the busiest time of year."

The former Warehouse Stationery store had been open for 15 years before the fire.