Yan Yean road works force Plenty General Store to take legal action

A small business in Plenty on the brink of shutting down, has been forced to take legal action against a major road authority. But the family-run store isn’t going down without a fight.

Robert El-Azar is hoping there is still a future for Plenty General Store after claiming nearby road works on Yan Yean Rd have “killed” his business.

A much-loved convenience store in Plenty will be lucky to survive another two weeks, with the shop owner blaming nearby road works for “killing” the family business.

Plenty General Store owner Robert El-Azar said he would now pursue legal action against Major Roads Project Authority (MRPA), after the opening of the improved Yan Yean Rd in March forced his business to be cut off from main road traffic.

He said his business now operated on a “dead-end” service road, Old Yan Yean Rd.

As a result the 33-year-old said income had plummeted, with the business now earning just $3000 a week, compared to $7500 previously.

“These are closing down numbers,” Mr El-Azar said.

“I would see about 30,000 cars drive past the store every day before the switch over and now I would be lucky to see five cars go past.”

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Mr El-Azar said the business had encountered at least four significant closures to roads leading to his shop — this including the three-week closure of the Yan Yean, Diamond Creek and Aqueduct roads intersection in January.

He said his shop was lucky to scrape in $150 a week during that period.

“We are in a lot of trouble — we’ll be lucky if we can survive the next two weeks because at the moment it is so hard to get any substantial revenue with the current position we’re in,” he said.

“It’s upheaved our lives, destroyed our finances and morale — it’s caused so much stress and anxiety in our family and now I’m even having to work part-time to keep the shop afloat.”

A version of Google maps showing Plenty General Store just off Yan Yean Rd, before the improved Yan Yean Rd opened in March.

The updated map which shows Plenty General Store is now off Old Yan Yean Rd, a service road.

Mr El-Azar’s parents bought the business in 2008, and he took over the store in 2015.

The Lalor resident said he loved coming in to work at the convenience shop every day.

“It’s a wonderful community, very homely and everyone knows us and we know them,” he said.

“All it will take is one phone call from the landlord to say ‘you’ve failed to adhere to your lease repayments and you need to go’ — but we really want to stay and serve this community.”

Mr El-Azar could not comment on a final compensation figure he would be seeking from MRPA as he was still receiving legal advice.

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Major Roads Project Victoria program director Damien Afxentis said they had reached out to the small business.

“Our team is in regular contact with the Plenty General Store and have worked with the owners to support them in ways that are helpful to their business during and post construction,” he said.

“This includes advertising, additional signage, new street furniture and business mentoring delivered by small business experts.

“We sincerely understand major road works can sometimes be disruptive which is why we’ve worked extensively with every nearby local business during the Yan Yean Rd upgrade.”

The $131.2 million duplication of Yan Yean Rd is set to be completed by mid-2019.

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