News / Business
IGA supermarket to partially reopen this month
Pop up store will sell essentials, liquor and some ‘Brunswick favourites’
Mark Phillips
A POP up store will open on the site of the Sydney Road Supa IGA supermarket this month, the first step towards a full reopening after a major fire in January.
The pop up is planned to open on July 22, occupying the front section of the store and selling basic groceries, liquor and a few delicacies.
Meanwhile, work is continuing on a full refit of the rest of the store, which suffered significant smoke damage from January’s fire. This includes replacing the roof, internal walls and ceilings, and wiring.
The pop up store will be about 230 square metres in size in the part of the store that is usually bakery products and the liquor section.
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The IGA has been closed since a fire ripped through the upstairs office area of the building in the early hours of January 23.
The second floor of the building was quickly engulfed in flames and it took fire crews three hours to bring under control, forcing the closure of Sydney Road. The building was empty at the time and no-one was hurt.
A reception centre that also occupies part of the upstairs area of the building, Almina Brunswick, avoided serious damage.
The official cause of the fire was an electrical fault, and Fire Rescue Victoria has ruled out suspicious circumstances.
The opening of the pop up store is a sign that the repairs to the store are well advanced after an early prognosis that it could have been closed for a year.
Melissa Menta, one of the store managers speaking on behalf of its owners, Uniworks Pty Ltd, said the pop up store would be open from 8am to 9pm, seven days a week from next Monday.
“Basically they’re trying to fill it with Brunswick favourites and groceries and liquor and things like that, and then the rest of the store will open in three months,” she said.
“Customers will be able to get their essentials, and they may get a special treat that they can’t get at other stores in the area.”
She said it was not yet known how many of the store’s previous staff would be employed during the first phase of reopening.
The pop up occupies about 15% of the floor space of the full store, which is expected to be ready to open by early-November.
Queensland-based construction company Paynters has overseen the refurbishment of the store, which was badly damaged by heat and smoke from January’s fire.
This meant that the entire store, apart from the primary structural components of the building, have had to be removed and replaced.
New services including electrical wiring, refrigeration and security have been installed, the roof and purlins for the entire building have been replaced, and internal wall and ceiling sheeting has also been replaced. All the works will bring the building up to the current building code.
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