Beer Store locations across Ontario are shutting down as the chain faces unprecedented competition.
What was once held a monopoly for the sale of beer and other ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages across Ontario could soon be facing extinction, as a swath of closures have wracked the company in recent months.
John Nock, President of UFCW, the union that represents Beer Store workers across the province, tells blogTO that, since May of 2024, 23 of the chain’s locations either have closed or are set to close by Feb. 28. And that’s no coincidence.
“This is definitely a direct cause of the beer market being opened up,” John contends.
According to John, the closures are “all due to Ford allowing alcohol to be sold in convenience and most grocery stores,” referring to the landmark decision made by the Ontario government to acellerate plans to offer beer and wine in retail settings last summer.
Though new policy officially went into effect in September — amid a particularly nasty LCBO labour strike based, in large part, on the same issue — the Beer Store began feeling the strain of the exponential rise in competition months before then, and continue to today.
While 23 stores out of over 350 across the province seems like small potatoes now, John tells blogTO that there could be a far larger crash coming in the near future if no further agreements to maintain the stability of The Beer Store against competition are made.
“According to the early implementation agreement The Beer Store must keep 300 stores open until the end of 2025,” John tells blogTO. “After that there is no limit on closures.”
In collaboration with the provincial government, The Beer Store has already implemented a few strategies in an effort to boost revenue following the agreement, like allowing — in theory, anyway, — the sale of lottery tickets and non-beer items in their stores, but, if the closures are any indication, the chain may just be pounding sand.
When asked about the swath of closures, Beer Store Vice President of Retail Ozzie Ahmed told blogTO that, “like any retailer in today’s evolving marketplace for beverage alcohol, [The Beer Store is] continually evaluating our business operations to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers and adapting to change.”
“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,” he adds.
Only time will tell what becomes of The Beer Store come 2026 and beyond, but the chain isn’t the only business that’s felt the strain of the Ford government’s expansion of alcohol sales.
In late 2024, founders at local craft breweries Left Field and Blood Brothers expressed their own concern for the way the massive shifts happening in Ontario’s beer and ready-to-drink market could impact their own businesses.
“It is very apparent that foreign macro brewers are the ones benefiting from this expansion,” Blood Brothers told blogTO at the time.
“One of our largest streams of revenue (our bottle shop) is now up for competition with every corner store in our area and, even though we would gladly sell these corner stores our products, they are not interested in selling craft beer.”
