Officeworks Underwood has officially reopened 15 months after it was destroyed by an unsolved fire.
The store has been completely rebuilt in the same location but is now 49-square-metres larger and provides 44 locals with jobs.
The original store was destroyed by a fire in August last year.
14 fire trucks were needed to control blaze, which was lit while staff and customers were still inside.
No one was injured, but the store and adjoining buildings couldn’t be saved.
Staff were then redeployed to neighbouring stores.
Seven members from the original store have returned, while five will be transferring from other locations.
Officeworks store business manager Jordan Collins said team members were provided with flexibility following the fire.
“We arranged other work opportunities for our team at nearby Officeworks stores and in our Customer Service Centre,” she said.
“After a year of rebuilding, we are thrilled to be reopening the doors and connecting with our Underwood community once again.
“I’d like to thank all our team for their dedication to making this reopening possible and to our valued customers and community for their patience as we navigated our return to making Officeworks Underwood bigger and better for our customers and local community.”
A police spokesperson said investigations into the fire are ongoing and detectives are “still seeking further information”.
The new store offers almost 2000 square-metres of space, hosting Officeworks’ entire product range, including technology, stationery, art, education resources and furniture, as well as its Print and Create desk which hosts five Konica self-serve printers and four Fuji Film photo kiosks.
Ms Collins said the store had also worked to increase customer experience and engagement by creating interactive technology displays and easier navigation between related products, including a designated Apple ecosystem.
Officeworks Underwood is located at The Zone, 183 Kingston Rd, Underwood, and is open to customers Monday to Friday 7am – 9pm, Saturday 8am – 6pm and Sunday 9am – 6pm.
