Closures lead to layoffs for permanent, part-time and summer positions
The Beer Store will close 12 more locations across Ontario later this year, according to a report.
The closures—set for Oct. 19—will push the total number of closures to more than 100 in the past year, according to Global News.
The locations set to close on that date are:
- Bridgenorth — 882 Ward St., Bridgenorth, Ont., K0L 1H0
- Eganville — 8647 Hwy. 60, Eganville, Ont., K0J 1T0
- Forest — 89 Main St. S., Forest, Ont., N0N 1J0
- Grand Bend — 21 Ontario St. N., Grand Bend, Ont., N0M 1T0
- Harrow — 398 King St. W., PO Box 249, Harrow, Ont., N0R 1G0
- Little Current — 53 Meredith St. E., PO Box 210, Little Current, Ont., P0P 1K0
- Markdale — 33 Argyle St., Markdale, Ont., N0C 1H0
- Noëlville — 142 David St. N., Noëlville, Ont., P0M 2N0
- North York — 3078 Don Mills Rd., Toronto, M2J 3C1
- Sauble Beach — 704 Main St., Sauble Beach, Ont., N0H 1P0
- Toronto — 900A Don Mills Rd., Unit #100, Toronto, M3C 1V6
- Toronto — 800 Gerrard St. E., Toronto, M4M 1Y7
“The Beer Store is modernising to meet the changing marketplace and unfortunately this means making the hard decision to close retail locations,” Ozzie Ahmed, vice-president of retail at The Beer Store, said, according to a report from the Financial Post. “We know this is difficult news for customers. As The Beer Store modernises, our locations will continue to provide friendly customer service and a deposit return system that gets consumers their money back.”
The closures come in response to Ontario’s liberalised alcohol sales rules, which now allow convenience, grocery, and big box stores to sell beer and other beverages, reports Global News. The Beer Store—owned by Molson, Labatt, and Sleeman—was required to keep at least 300 locations open until the end of 2024, after which it can close as many stores as it chooses. The company has not disclosed how many storefronts it plans to shutter in total or whether all locations will eventually close, according to the report.
The Hudson's Bay Company went through with its full liquidation earlier this year.
The impact of The Beer Store closures
The closure of The Beer Store locations will result in the loss of permanent, part-time, and seasonal jobs.
“There are permanent jobs that are going to disappear from those locations as well as summer student jobs and part-timers who work there,” Mayor Alan MacNevin—of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands in Ontario—says in the Global News report. The closures are also expected to affect local events and businesses that rely on The Beer Store for product supply, as the LCBO offers only a limited range of beer in many communities.
Global News reports that while some closures have occurred in larger urban centres, many have taken place in smaller or remote communities, raising broader concerns about access to alcohol sales, recycling services, and local employment opportunities.
Canadian businesses are increasingly pessimistic as the ongoing trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump continues to impact the economy, according to a previous report from the Bank of Canada. And more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of Canadian business leaders are bracing for the worst and taking steps to prepare for a potential recession, according to a separate study from KPMG.
