Business returns after Whanganui fish-and-chip shop fire

Naomi McLennan and Savages Bakery are back in business on St Johns Hill. Photo / Bevan Conley

Business is slowly returning to the St Johns Hill shopping centre.

Hilltop Fish Supply was significantly damaged after a fire in the shop in the early hours of November 22.

St Johns Pharmacy remained open after the incident but Savages Bakery, Hair Creations and the Shirley McDouall School of Dance were forced to shut their doors.

However, this week Savages opened a pop-up shop at the premises.

Owner Tim Gillespie said food was still not being produced there.

“We’re putting food there that would normally go on our mobile sales units that go around the CBD and industrial areas.

“The front of the shop has been cleaned out and sanitised and the cabinets have been electrically certified again. We are into it as much as we can be.”

Property manager and landlord Frank Bristol said the scope of work required to repair the building fully was being worked out but it still had its structural integrity.

He said the insurance company was satisfied the building could be remediated.

Hilltop Fish Supply (right) remains fenced off. Photo / Bevan Conley

“We’ve got a bit more serious work to do with reinstating Hair Creations upstairs.

“Presently, we are doing a clean-up and gut-out of the fish shop before we work towards a refit.”

Joists at the back of the fish shop needed replacing but the owner was hoping to reopen at some point.

“We are in a bit of a discussion about how can facilitate that,” Bristol said.

“Our goal is to get things underway as quickly as possible.”

Gillespie said the fire had been a big blow.

“The food industry is not a lucrative business at this point in time, at all.

“Hopefully, people have a bit of sympathy and support us as much as they can because we are only just surviving with the reduced income.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.