Home Cook and BBQ prepares final serve after three decades

A WONTHAGGI couple who have been retail fixtures for more than three decades are preparing to close their Murray Street store and enjoy retirement.

Leanne and Kanen Dicker will retire in the new year, closing their Home Cook and BBQ store in Murray Street.

While there is no set final date of operation, Leanne and Kanen aim to clear their stock before closing.

“The store will close when stocks are depleted, and we believe it will be about three months from now,” Mr Dicker said. “We want everything gone.”

Kanen and Leanne have been part of the family business since 1994, a timeframe during which there has been quite the evolution.

After first opening as a Retravision in 1994, courtesy of Kanen and his father Barry, the business soon experienced rapid growth. Purpose-built buildings were later constructed in both Murray Street and Cowes, with the family running two stores at the height of their operation.

When Retravision exited Australia in its original form, the Dickers transitioned to Betta in 2011, remaining with the BSR Group until the Cowes store closed in 2023. By then, the industry had changed significantly.

“The industry changed and we just felt it was a better avenue to retail people things that they enjoy doing, instead of just general bulk retail, which got fairly hard in the end,” Mr Dicker said.

That evolution led to the opening of Home Cook and BBQ in Murray Street in 2017.

Retail has always been a family affair for the Dickers, with their daughter Lucy also playing a major role in the business. Lucy managed the Betta store for four years, but will now be heading to university and starting a family.

It is family more than anything that has prompted Leanne and Kanen to step away from the counter.

“We’ve been in retail for 34 years,” Mrs Dicker said. “Our daughter is having a baby and going on to study, so we want to be there for the grandchildren. It’s just time.”

Throughout their decades in business, the Dickers have been strong supporters of the local community, sponsoring sporting clubs, foundations and community groups across the region.

“Being a local person and growing up here, you almost feel an obligation to help look after your community,” Mr Dicker said. “At our peak, we were sponsoring up to 80 different community groups and foundations. We’ve never lived beyond our needs, so we preferred to put our profits back into the community.”

As they prepare to close this chapter, the couple say the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We’ve had a lot of customers come in and tell us they’re sad to see us go, but in a good way,” Mr Dicker said.

Before locking up for the final time, Leanne and Kanen said they wanted to thank the community that has supported them for more than three decades.

“We really do appreciate the support from our community and our loyal customers for giving us the opportunity to supply them with something they love for so many years,” they said.