'Pop-up' Four Square replacing Waipawa's supermarket after devastating fire

The giant '4' was craned into place earlier this week. Photo / Rachel Wise

Waipawa's worst kept secret is out of the shopping bag.

Work to rebuild Waipawa's Four Square after it burned to the ground is continuing, but community's eyes have been on the building next door.

Rumurs circulating of an interim pop-up Four Square have all-but been confirmed by Foodstuffs- Hawke's Bay Today understands it will officially open on Thursday September 30, at 8am.

It was a bit of a giveaway this week when a large "4" was craned into place on the building's frontage, then the shop - which was Penny Lane until it closed two years ago - was painted yellow.

The Waipawa 4 Square rebuild is a great source of interest for local residents.

It's a blast from the past for the old building, with the return of groceries to its shelves, as it was originally part of Williams and Kettle and stocked groceries, hardware and stock feed.

Graham and Rachel Williams, owners of the old store, will be welcoming back customers and staff, in the smaller pop-up shop.

The cause of the early-morning May 30 fire was discovered to be a fire in a bakery oven. The two bakers on site at the time raised the alarm and got out of the building safely. The store had employed 28 full-time and part-time staff.

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Eight fire engines, four tankers and three support vehicles attended the blaze, which closed the road for several hours.

At the time, Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker said the supermarket was at "the heart of the community".

Waipawa Four Square in Central Hawke's Bay was destroyed by fire on May 31.

Other retailers in the area were quick to offer help, with New World Waipukurau taking on some of the4 Square staff, while Waipawa Butchery, Waipawa Fish Supply and Bucks Veges took up the challenge to keep Waipawa residents in essential grocery supplies.

The Waipawa community has responded with delight to the announcement via Facebook that the pop-up 4 Square will open next week, with commenters saying they can't wait to visit the new shop.