A $50 million roadworks project in Perth’s northern suburbs appears to have claimed its first victim, with the shock overnight closure of a popular fruit and vegetable warehouse retailer.

Shoppers arriving at Drovers Fruit and Vegetables in Wanneroo this morning left empty-handed after finding the doors closed, all produce gone and the store empty.

The shop, operated by Asiatique, is part of Drovers Market Place on the corner of Joondalup Drive and Wanneroo Road, which also includes a medical centre, bakery, veterinary surgery and swim school.

Dan Murphy’s, Pet City, Surge Gym and Eagle Spurs Steak and Grill are among other tenants in the complex.

It is understood trucks arrived at the fruit and veg store under the cover of darkness late Wednesday night and had cleared the premises by 3am. The nearby fish market was also closed.

The Oven Door Bakery at Drovers, which sits between the two shops, is run by a separate business and remains open. A post on a local community Facebook page this morning urged shoppers to continue to support the store.

Drovers Market Place owner Ray Jackson said he had been left shocked by the sudden departure.

Camera Icon Empro also runs a fish market at Drover, which has also closed.

“It was a bit unexpected. We were trying to negotiate with them, they had lost a lot of turnover because of the roadworks out the front,” Mr Jackson said.

Main Roads WA started work late last year to upgrade the intersection, with Joondalup Drive to become a flyover across Wanneroo Road to ease congestion during peak hour. A roundabout interchange will also be built for traffic travelling north-south along Wanneroo Road.

Mr Jackson said there was still “a long time” left on the fruit and veg store’s lease and he had not received any warning that the business would vacate the site. He is currently seeking legal advice.

Director Sonny Phan said the decision to pull out was due to several factors, including a 40 per cent drop in trade since the roadworks began.

“We are sorry to let our loyal customers down,” he said.

“I have put my heart and soul into Drovers.”

Camera Icon The Drovers complex at the intersection of Wanneroo Road and Joondalup Drive.

Planned weekend closures of the intersection were delayed earlier this month. CPB Contractors had been due to close it to traffic this weekend to allow work crews to move barriers and replace existing traffic signals with a temporary roundabout before stage two works begin.

But Main Roads said wet weather had again postponed the full closure.

Mr Jackson, who raised concerns about the project before works started in September, said the disruption had caused problems with footfall.

“People’s turnovers are down and it has a big impact on businesses,” he said.

“It’s hard to get through to the Government about it. Lodge a claim, do this, do that. Meanwhile, the family, mums and dads suffer.”

Big-box furniture store Drovers Inside and Out closed its doors several weeks ago.

Work on the flyover and other roadworks is due to be completed by the middle of next year.