10 more Ontario Beer Stores set to close amid changing alcohol landscape
The most recent list of stores includes two locations in Toronto, one in Ottawa, one in Hamilton, one in Burlington, among other locations.
Last year, the Ford government followed through on a long-term promise to allow convenience stores, grocers and big box retailers to sell a range of alcoholic drinks, including beer.
The plan negotiated a break with The Beer Store, which had previously had an exclusive alcohol retail agreement with the province. It earmarked $225 million for the chain, including measures to reduce store closures.
Under the agreement with the government, at least 300 Beer Store locations must remain open until the end of 2025. After that, there will be no restrictions on shutdowns.
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Here is a list of the 10 stores set to close by Sept. 14, 2025:
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2020 Appleby Line, Burlington, ON L7L 6M6
3322 5 Hwy. #17, Deep River, ON K0J 1P0
229 Dundurn St. S, Hamilton, ON L8P 4K8
12334 Hwy. #41, PO Box 17, Northbrook, ON K0H 2G0
1910 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 1A4
Erie St. S, #21 Hwy, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0
4479 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, ON M1E 2N7
Lookout 41 Front St, Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1A3
636 Greenwood Ave., Toronto, ON M4J 4B2
4681 Hwy # 7, Unionville, ON L3R 1M6
'The retail market for beer is changing in Ontario and for The Beer Store that means making the difficult decision to close some retail locations,' said Ozzie Ahmed, VP of Retail. 'This is not an easy decision and not one we make lightly.'
The Beer Store had already previously announced four stores would close by June 15, another 11 stores by July 6, then nine more stores by July 20, an additional 10 stores by August 10, and 10 more stores by August 24, as well as the 10 stores just announced by September 14. The latest closures will take the number of shuttered Beer Stores past 80.
It also noted they encourage customers to continue returning empties. More than 1.6 billion alcohol containers were processed at its locations annually.
All grocery stores that sell alcohol will be required to accept the return of empties and refund customer deposits starting on Jan. 1, 2026 as part of provincial regulations, the Beer Store said.
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— With files from Global News' Isaac Callan
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