CLOSURE: Over 20 Beer Store locations shut across Ontario

Beer Store locations across Ontario are closing as more stores are allowed to sell alcohol.

Last May, Premier Doug Ford announced a deal with The Beer Store for $225 million, breaking a 10-year agreement with the company to speed up the process of allowing beer sales in convenience stores and grocery stores.

By August, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario had approved 4,146 convenience store licenses to sell beer, wine, cider, and ready-to-drink beverages. The province estimates that up to 8,500 stores throughout Ontario will sell alcohol in the future.

As more shops offer the beverages, The Beer Store has started to close locations.

John Nock, president of UFCW Canada Local 12R24, which represents The Beer Store workers, told INsauga.com that since May 2024 at least 23 Beer Store locations had closed or will close by the end of February.

“There will probably be more, and we don’t know yet where or when,” Nock said.

Stores that have closed include three in Toronto — at Yonge and Dundas, Queens Quay and Roncesvalles; Barry’s Bay; Marmora; Geraldton (near Thunder Bay); Cochrane (near Kapuskasing); one store in Stratford; and a location in Burlington.

Locations closing in February include stores in Scarborough, Ottawa and Kingston. The Etobicoke location at Cloverdale Mall is also slated to close, Nock added.

The Beer Store, which is primarily owned by three brewing companies—Molson, Labatt, and Sleeman, declined to confirm the closures.

“Like any retailer in today’s evolving marketplace for beverage alcohol, we are continually evaluating our business operations to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers and adapting to change,” Ozzie Ahmed, vice president retail, The Beer Store said in an emailed statement.

“The Beer Store is closely watching our retail stores and making decisions on what makes the most sense for how we operate as a business. Any decision we make considers our commitment to serving our customers. There is no further information to share with respect to the retail location you referenced, or other retail locations at this time.”

Nock said the closures are a result of more competition.

“Why are you going to pay for these brick-and-mortar stores when your products are being sold in 40 other places in the same area?” he said.

In the end, Nock believes beer prices will go up as a result of the closures.  The Beer Store controlled prices across the province.

“Convenience stores and grocery stores can charge whatever they want. There’s a floor but no ceiling,” he said. “By the end of 2026 when we really know what the final game plan is, I think prices will go up. That’s my personal opinion.”

Nock said unionized employees are offered positions at other locations but for those in the north, the nearest store is too far away for most employees. He estimates about 20 part-time and full-time employees lost their jobs.

Up to 100 more Beer Stores could close this year and an unlimited number of stores could close in 2026, he added, and employees are nervous.

“They don’t know what the future holds, and neither do we,” he said.

Ford’s buck-a-beer promise in the 2018 leadership campaign seems far out of reach these days.

“It’s going be more unlikely, in my opinion,” Nock said.

Lead photo: Google Maps