Leo’s Supermarket in Heidelberg is set to close earlier than planned, with shoppers reporting fewer customers and fewer stocks.
But the new owners of the Rue de Bourgogne site have revealed that a new supermarket and five stores will replace the site.
Customers said Sunday they were disappointed that Leo’s Fine Food and Wine Supermarket in Heidelberg, known for its gourmet produce, will permanently close on March 13 after 25 years in business.
Mario Lo Giudice, managing director of the site’s new owner, Banco Group, confirmed the closing date was correct, but stressed that renovation plans are underway, including a new supermarket.
Planning permission was obtained to renovate the building, retaining the supermarket and building five new stores along Rue Bourgogne.
“We are in talks with a number of independent supermarket operators,” he told this masthead.
Last June, when this masthead reported the sale of the Burgundy Street store, management indicated that the Heidelberg supermarket and sister store in Kew would close at the end of 2026.
“Like everyone else, I’m shocked. It’s really unfair. The Strip, the community needs this. The Strip needs this,” said Rosanna’s Sandra Andary, who has been a customer for 16 years, after hearing the news of the closure on March 13.
“It’s like a hub. One guy just said ‘hello’ to me and met me during the pandemic and remembered my name. Leo has a beautiful community gathered around him.”
She said Leo sells products you can’t find anywhere else, and her favorite brands include Green Nation Life All-Purpose Cleaner and Earth Taste Life Himalayan Pink Salt.
“I buy frozen berries. I buy high-quality meat here. And I buy good brands of bread and milk.”
Andari said she has noticed a decline in customer numbers since the store’s closure was announced last year, and she herself has shopped there less often, making it harder to remain attached to the store knowing it was closing.
Gerald Sheehan, a lifelong Heidelberg resident who has been a fan of Leo’s since it opened in 2001, said he was disappointed it had closed and now had to shop at Kohl’s.
“It’s a shame it’s closing,” said Steve Cady, another regular from Heidelberg.
Caddy said while she buys her staple groceries at Woolworths, she gets “all the goodies” at Leo’s, including Sergio Valentino’s durum wheat semolina pasta, Illewarra sourdough bread and Ivan’s thick Angus beef pie.
“Herbs like dill, thyme and tarragon are always fresh here and are harvested in greater quantities than elsewhere.”
Additionally, he said Leo’s was a hub for the community. “There are always interesting people shopping here. There’s unique food, so it’s a more interesting atmosphere. And everything is a little fresher.”
He said there was always old Italian songs playing on the sound system.
“That’s what makes Heidelberg unique,” Cady said.
It is unclear whether Cureo’s will close at the end of 2026 as originally planned.
In June last year, developer Orchard Piper announced that the Leo’s block in Princes Street, Kew, which it had purchased, would be converted into luxury housing in a joint venture backed by billionaire James Packer.
The new Kew building will also include shops and a premium produce outlet.
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