THE Angus & Robertson book store has reopened at the Cairns Central shopping centre after it closed 18 months ago.

The Gaskin family, which bought the brand, decided to reopen in Cairns "under new ownership, with a new attitude and a new range".

The brand, which has been trading for more than 120 years, closed after the collapse of REDGroup Retail in 2011.

The franchise store at Stockland Cairns, Earlville, continued trading and was not affected by the REDGroup failure.

The family have rehired former staff, including manager Val Spall, assistant manager Mark Steedman and two casuals.

Mrs Spall, who worked at Best and Less in the meantime, said she was delighted to be back after 10 years with the brand.

"When they phoned me I was over the moon. It was a dream come true," she said.

"The feedback and response from customers has been fantastic."

Angus & Robertson Book Retailing managing director Adrian Gaskin said the family had been in retail for more than 40 years and was excited with the latest venture.

"It's challenging opening a business in this tough economic climate, but we hope that by listening to the feedback from our customers and tailoring the range and offers to suit their needs, the iconic Australian brand will be welcomed back into the Cairns community," he said.

Mr Gaskin said their core values included treating customers with respect, fostering a love of books, promoting local authors and supporting all generations in their lifelong journey of reading.

"The Angus & Robertson Cairns team encourages all customers to come in to see the newly reopened store, browse the comprehensive range of books in a variety of genres, and help restore the much-loved Angus & Robertson of the past," he said.

Mr Gaskin said Angus & Robertson was offering a special discount for anyone who was left with an unused gift card when the store closed under the former owners.

"While the new owners are unable to honour the value of the gift cards, the new owners are offering a 25 per cent discount on the presentation of an old Angus & Robertson gift card until November 30," he said.

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