The Beer Store, Ontario's largest beer retailer, is set to close seven more locations on November 16, 2025. This decision is part of a broader trend of store closures as the company adapts to changes in the retail alcohol market. The latest closures bring the total number of locations shut down or scheduled to close to 69 this year.

Ozzie Ahmed, vice president of retail at The Beer Store, stated, "To meet the needs of an evolving retail market, The Beer Store is making the difficult decision to close retail locations and is committed to meeting the requirements of the Early Implementation Agreement." He acknowledged the impact of these closures on consumers, recyclers, and employees.

The affected locations include stores in Alexandria, Barrie, Brampton, Beaverton, Cornwall, Gananoque, and South River. This move follows the Ontario government's decision to expand alcohol sales to grocery and convenience stores, which has increased competition for The Beer Store.

The Beer Store, which is owned by brewers Sleeman, Molson, and Labatt, has already closed over 60 locations this year. Despite these closures, approximately 300 stores will remain operational across the province. The company has also entered into a $225 million agreement with the provincial government to help stabilize its operations amid these changes.

In addition to the closures, The Beer Store has launched a new feature on its website called the "Empty Return Locator." This tool will help customers find nearby locations to return empty alcohol containers. Ahmed emphasized the company's commitment to recycling, stating, "We’ve been accepting empties and returning customer deposit money for generations; we are recycling leaders."

Under the terms of the agreement with the province, The Beer Store will continue to serve as the official recycler of alcohol containers until at least 2031. The retailer encourages customers to return the more than 1.6 billion alcohol containers it processes annually to its locations or authorized dealers. Starting January 1, 2026, all grocery stores selling alcohol will be required to accept returns of empty containers and refund customer deposits.