“We are in the process of consulting with team members at Coles Mooroopna, and a decision has not been made in relation to the store’s future,” a Coles spokesperson said.
Mooroopna resident Leanne McCabe started an online petition to save the Echuca Rd store after hearing of the rumoured closure through word of mouth.
She said as a close-knit community, customers had been tipped off by staff, with a date in October this year floated.
The supermarket site, including Liquorland and Shell service station, was put up for sale in March 2021.
According to the listing, a 20-year lease to Coles was set to expire in November 2022, with options to extend to 2042.
If Coles was to shut its doors, Mooroopna’s chain supermarket options would be Woolworths and Aldi, located about 1.5km away on McLennan St.
For committed Coles customers, the nearest stores are both 5km away at Kialla’s Riverside Plaza or Vaughan St, Shepparton.
Nearly 150 people have signed Ms McCabe’s ‘Save Mooroopna Coles’ petition, which she hopes will do just that.
“I rely on that little Coles,” she said.
“I walk there and I know a lot of people who walk there and have the convenience — I know it’s going to impact a lot of people.”
She called on Coles to be honest with the community about what was proposed for the store.
“Some people don’t have that option to drive or have someone to pick them up and take them into town,” she said.
“I’m thinking more of the elderly that rely on it to be able to walk to and don’t have family or others that can help them.
“I’m hoping we can save it and they don’t close it.”
The petition is online at change.org/p/save-mooroopna-coles
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