Dunedin's Marbecks store will close in two weeks then reopen in a new guise, but Marbecks staff and the landlord are remaining quiet on the changes planned.
Dunedin City Council assistant manager city property Rhonda Abercrombie said the council was Marbecks' landlord in Wall Street mall but it could not comment on Marbecks managing director Roger Harper's ''exciting'' plans for the retail space.
''Let's just say they are closing down and reopening ... the cafe operation is still staying there and there is some new and exciting change with that, but it is really up to Roger to tell you about that, rather than us.''
The council was working with Marbecks over the changes, she said.
Mr Harper did not return a call from the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
Marbecks Dunedin manager David James said the book and music store would close on October 13, but the cafe would remain open.
The closing-down sale had made the store ''busier than Christmas''.
He would not disclose any future plans for the retail space.
In March, Marbecks in Auckland's Queen St closed after 78 years because of dwindling sales and rising online competition.
In January, Mr Harper said the configuration of the Dunedin store would change by shifting the shop's focus more towards the cafe operation and away from music and books, he said.
Customer Bob Sutton, of Dunedin, was in the store looking at books yesterday and said he was not surprised by the ''inevitable'' closure of the store because more people were buying online.
''Welcome to the future.''
Customer Graeme Hore, of Dunedin, said Marbecks had one of the best ranges of books in Dunedin and it was a ''shame'' the store was closing.
Marbecks had a good range of music, too, but sales would have dropped when JB Hi-Fi opened in Meridian mall, he said.
