One of the big box stores in Lismore's CBD, Officeworks, reopened Wednesday.
It has been out of action for 25 weeks following the floods that devastated the city.
There's a total team of 42, including eight new local team members.
Officeworks Lismore Store Business Manager, Peter Walden said" "I'm so proud of our team who have worked so hard to get our store back up and operating.
"It has been a challenging time for so many of our team and for the broader community who have lost their homes and so much more, so we're thrilled to have our store ready to re-open, and to take another step toward getting things back to normal.
"While the store was under construction, we made sure to provide the flexibility our team members needed as they rebuilt their own homes, and reassurance of job security for when we re-opened. In the interim, we provided other work opportunities for our team, either in the Customer Service Centre, or at nearby Officeworks stores."
With the community still reeling from the significant impacts of the floods, Officeworks together with its customers have donated much-needed funds and supplies to local organisations and community hubs, including:
Providing $30,000 to the Lismore South Public School to rebuild school supplies via GIVIT Flood Relief
Gifting $10,000 worth of books to the Lismore Library via GIVIT Flood Relief.
Donating $2,000 in cash and gift cards to the Lismore First Steps Early Learning Centre an extended range.
Together with partners 123Read2ME, it is estimated that 25,000 books have been sent to Lismore and other flood affected areas through the book collection initiative offered through select Officeworks stores in Victoria and South Australia.
While keeping the same 1,615sqm selling area, the store has been given a makeover with refreshed Australian-made brand signage internally and externally, new payment technology, an upgraded fit out with 55 new retail segments, a wider product range and polished flooring.
It will feature a larger tech display and pen unit, dedicated Apple and Microsoft benches (soon to be installed), an extended art, craft and education range, and will offer helpful services such as Print + Create and on-site tech support with Geeks2U.
The store's sustainability features - a core part of Officeworks' commitment to integrating sustainability initiatives with customer experience - have also been upgraded, with 100% LED lighting reducing energy consumption, with solar panels due for installation to enable the store to run on solar energy.
The store will also feature a new Bring It Back recycling unit as a collection point for customers to recycle their unwanted or broken tech items, batteries, printer cartridges, pens and more.
