FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2025
The Beer Store Announces Store Closures effective June 15, 2025
Effective close of business day June 15, The Beer Store (TBS) will close the following retail stores:
Ottawa – 2144 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON K2A 1H1
Toronto – 761 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON M6J 1E5
Toronto (East York) – 1270 Woodbine Ave., Toronto, ON M4C 4E6
Woodbridge – 7676 Islington Ave. W., Woodbridge, ON L4L 1W3
In addition, the TBS site in Sault Ste. Marie, located at 250 Bruce St., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 1P1, will close the retail footprint and transform fully to a distribution warehouse to better service the needs of our logistics customers in the market.
“The Beer Store has been in business for over 97 years, and we take pride in serving our customers with the best service possible while offering a wide selection of beer and an easy to return empty process,” said Ozzie Ahmed, Vice President of Retail, TBS. “However, as the marketplace shifts, we must adapt our business model to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers. We are closely monitoring the performance of each store and at times may need to make the challenging decision to close select stores. While we acknowledge that closures can be disappointing for our loyal customers and the dedicated employees who work in these stores, every decision we make is rooted in our commitment to being a sustainable business and ensure we can continue serving customers for many years to come. Throughout this process, we remain committed to treating our employees with respect, supporting them through transitions, and recognizing their contributions to our business.”.
Empty Returns
The Beer Store encourages customers to continue returning more than the approximate 1.6 billion alcohol containers we process annually to one of our local TBS locations or an empty return dealer located close by. The following alcohol containers can be returned to collect your deposit back: beer, wine and spirits bottles, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, tetra packs and kegs.
We remind Ontario residents that all grocery stores that sell alcohol will be required to return empties starting January 1, 2026. To help ensure that customers can still purchase beer and return empties, we encourage customers to use one of the following resources:
To find the closest Beer Store location, please visit our website at www.thebeerstore.ca/locations.
To find an alternative beer retailer, please use the Province’s website locator at: Where to buy Alcoholic Beverages
To learn more about The Beer Store’s sustainability efforts and why returning empties is beneficial for your community, please see our latest Stewardship Report Delivering Circular Solutions for Ontario. Visit Stewardship Report | The Beer Store.
About The Beer Store
Owned by Ontario-based brewers, The Beer Store is the largest beer retailer in Ontario. It’s logistics division has 26 points of distribution strategically located across the province to meet the needs of customers. The Beer Store proudly distributed 2.92 million hectoliters of beer to over 13,000 customers in 2024. In 2024, The Beer Store added over 5,300 new customers to its distribution network. The Beer Store is deeply committed to responsible sales and not selling to minors and people who are intoxicated. More than 2.1 million customers were challenged in 2024. It is also one of the greenest retailers in the world, annually collecting for reuse and recycling approximately 1.6 billion beverage alcohol containers, including beer, wine and spirits. The Beer Store employs 6,500 hard-working Ontarians with well-paying full and part-time jobs.
Media Contact
The Beer Store
mediainquiries@thebeerstore.ca
