The Marbeck family sold Marbecks Records eight years ago, and now in the store's 79th year the family have re-purchased Marbecks Classical, Jazzand Specialist Imports.

Shop 28 Queens Arcade, 34 Queen St, Auckland, New Zealand 1010

"I have been in the music wholesale business since I sold Marbecks eight years ago and we service approximately 70% of the country's classical releases through Ode Records. We know there are over 40,000 classical music aficionados and a huge number of jazz enthusiasts also in New Zealand and that's who we're here for," says Roger Marbeck.

"It became very apparent that with the closing of the Marbecks stores by the people who bought me out there was suddenly going to be no outlets left to look after these enthusiasts. So we negotiated and they agreed to allow us to use the Marbecks Classical name and open a specialist store once again in the Queens Arcade where my father and grandfather based us in 1934.

I am delighted also to say we have employed Mel Moratti who has run the classical store for the past 18 years, Brent Cardy who has been with me importing all of the specialist CDs for equally as long and alongside these talents are our part-timers Francesca, Ella and Oscar - all enthusiastic music fans and musicians."

Also new to the Marbecks team is Roger's son Logan Marbeck who runs the website, making this the fourth generation to work in the firm. The newly launched www.marbecksclassical.co.nz complements the store for the many lovers of classical around New Zealand who are unable to visit in person.

Marbecks Classical & Jazz has also secured the original phone numbers 0800113344 and 09 3790444, and will continue to field queries, take phone orders and talk music in the traditional Marbecks fashion that their customers love and appreciate.

Marbecks has come a long way since its inception. The store started selling musical instruments and sheet music, then came wax cylinders, 78s, LPs and 45s, reel to reel, tape cassettes and then the revolutionary CD.

People often are under the illusion that the CD is dead - wrong! There is still a very solid market for this medium and Marbecks Classical Jazz & Specialist Imports is here to serve it