The Beer Store, which until recently held a monopoly on retail beer sales in Ontario, has closed several stores and announced more will close. However, The Beer Store outlets in Hawkesbury, Alexandria, Rockland, and Embrun, are remaining open.
On July 28, The Beer Store, historically known as Brewer’s Retail, announced that 11 outlets across Ontario will close on September 28. Once the latest round of closures takes effect, The Beer Store will have closed 56 of its locations across Ontario since June 2025.
The closures come during a changing retail market for beer in Ontario. In 2024, the provincial government began allowing convenience stores and supermarkets to obtain licences to sell beer, allowing shoppers to add a case to their shopping carts with groceries instead of using The Beer Store’s longtime purchasing procedure of lining up and ordering at a counter, paying, and then waiting for the case of beer to appear from the stockroom on a conveyor.
“The retail marketplace for beer in Ontario is changing. As part of an ongoing process, the Beer Store is evolving operations to meet the needs of customers, and this unfortunately means making the difficult decision to close some retail locations. We only make this decision after much consideration and during the process, every effort is made to respect our customers, employees, and the communities where we operate,” said Ozzie Ahmed, Vice President Retail for The Beer Store.
As for the future of The Beer Store locations in Hawkesbury, Alexandria, Rockland, and Embrun, Ahmed said the company will not speculate.
“Out of respect for employees and customers, we do not speculate on retail locations not currently involved in the store closure process. If a decision is made to close a store, out of respect, we begin with employee notification,” he said.
Beer is sold at 13 retail stores in Hawkesbury, along with The Beer Store, located on the corner of Lansdowne and Cameron streets. In Alexandria, there are five retail stores selling beer, in addition to The Beer Store outlet. Six non-Beer Store retailers sell beer in Rockland, and beer is sold at six stores in Embrun, in addition to The Beer Store outlet there.
Currently, The Beer Store manages the beer bottle and can deposit return system in Ontario. It also manages the deposit returns for wine and liquor bottles. The Beer Store also has return depots at selected non-Beer Store locations. On January 1, 2026, all grocery stores in Ontario which sell alcohol will also be required to accept empty cans and bottles for return deposits.
Certain Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores also sell beer, particularly in communities where The Beer Store does not have an outlet. This includes the LCBO outlets in Vankleek Hill, Alfred, Plantagenet, Casselman, St-Isidore, and Maxville. According to the LCBO Press Office, those locations, and LCBO Convenience Outlets located in privately owned stores purchase wholesale domestic beer, from singles to 30 packs, directly from The Beer Store. Other beer, including imported products, are purchased through the LCBO. It is up to individual stores to decide which formats they carry.
The LCBO was asked if beer sales will be discontinued at outlets in communities where there are already private retailers selling beer, but the question was not answered.
