The fire, which raged for two hours on Wednesday night, destroyed the storage area of Carricks store in New Silksworth, Sunderland.
Fire crews stopped the flames spreading to the shop floor but the area was damaged after a water pipe burst.
Firefighters were forced to cut through metal shutters to gain entry to the store in Silksworth Terrace.
A post office within the single-storey building was damaged by smoke.
A spokeswoman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue service said the cause of the blaze was being investigated.
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