Hamlyn Heights Vallis IGA hopes for Christmas re-opening after fire

A popular Hamlyn Heights supermarket was destroyed by an arsonist in 2019. Now works to rebuild it are underway.

Artist's impressions of a rebuilt Vallis IGA

Work to rebuild a popular Hamlyn Heights supermarket has started almost four years after it was destroyed by a deliberately lit fire.

Vallis IGA managing director Frank Valenti said he was “excited” about the prospect of reopening the Vines Rd store by Christmas.

The family-run business, owned by the Valentis since 1978, was gutted by fire in 2019, leaving the local community reeling.

Construction to build the new $4.5m supermarket started in December last year, but the project suffered a disrupted start.

Vallis IGA owners Joe and Frank Valenti outside Vallis Mini-Mart in 2022. Picture: Alan Barber

“We’ve had some holdups underground, but we’ve overcome those,” Mr Valenti said.

“The biggest issue was asbestos, we found a lot of asbestos on site. It was full of it and that’s put us back as it all had to be removed.

“We had some water issues, with water leaking into the ground for years since the fire.

“All that damp soil had to be removed, that set us back another month.”

However, Mr Valenti was optimistic about the project’s timeline.

“We are still hoping to finish and be open for Christmas,” he said.

Six-months after the fire ripped through the Vines Road business, the family opened a mini-mart in a former milk bar to provide customers with a temporary solution, as well as maintaining their Highton store.

The Hamlyn Heights IGA in Vines Road was demolished after being severely damaged by fire. Picture: Alan Barber

In 2020, then-30-year-old Zach Brennan pleaded guilty to lighting the fire that caused $2.6m in damages. He was jailed for five years and three months.

Plans for the rebuilt store were revealed in 2022, showcasing an increased capacity including a purpose-built kitchen and enlarged deli and produce areas.

However, Mr Valenti said the store wouldn’t lose any part of it’s family-run appeal.

“The store previously had a strength in our deli and fresh produce, and that will be bigger and better than it was,” he said.

“It’s going to be a brand new store, almost twice the size of what it was.

“It’ll still have all the usual features, the bottle shop, the deli, fresh fruit and veg... what’s exciting is we are going to baking bread instore and our kitchen.

“We started a kitchen a few years before the fire, we built a little kitchen on the site, but this time we’ve designed a big kitchen behind the deli.

“You’ll get to see some kitchen action.”

Originally published as Hamlyn Heights Vallis IGA hopes for Christmas re-opening after fire