A dozen more Beer Stores will be closed across the province this fall, including two in midwestern Ontario and three in southwestern Ontario.
The Beer Store announced on Monday that retail outlets in Markdale, Sauble Beach, Grand Bend, Harrow, and Forest will be permanently shut down at the end of the business day on October 19. Other locations that will close on that date include Bridgenorth, Eganville, Little Current, Noëlville, North York, and two in Toronto.
“Where we sell beer and collect empties in Ontario is changing," Ozzie Ahmed, the Beer Store's vice president of retail, said in a statement. "The Beer Store is modernizing to meet the changing marketplace and unfortunately this means making the hard decision to close retail locations. We know this is difficult news for customers and employees."
He added that the company is working to ensure there are supports in place for all employees affected by this decision.
It was not revealed how many workers would lose their jobs as a result of the latest round of closures.
Last month, the Beer Store announced locations in Wingham, Clinton, Rodney, and Norwich would be shuttered at the end of September. That was on top of the roughly 85 other closures announced across the province since the start of the year. The Beer Store has been dealing with increased competition from grocery and corner stores since alcohol sales were expanded to include those retailers by the Ford government last September.