A store in northwestern Ontario is among the latest beer stores to be closed permanently.
The store in Atikokan will be among ten across the province to close on August 24th.
It is the latest in a series of closures The Beer Store has announced since March as it reviews operations in light of the provincial government expanding beer sales to grocery, big box and convenience stores.
“Closing a retail store is never an easy decision – our stores and employees contribute to communities in many ways and provide easy access to empty returns throughout Ontario,” states Ozzie Ahmed, Vice President of Retail, in a release.
“We are modernizing operations and focusing on what we do best.”
Mayor Rob Ferguson is surprised by the decision to close the one in his community.
“We’ve seen there were closures in other areas, but they were more in the urban centres where there are maybe more beer stores than were they deemed necessary,” says Ferguson.
“But we’re 140 kilometres from the closest beer store, so it is going to put a strain on the people of Atikokan.”
Beer is available at a local convenience store and the LCBO store where sales are likely to pick up following the closure.
The Beer Store has also been the local collection depot for empty bottles and cans.
The only site eligible to collect them now other than The Beer Store is an LCBO outlet store near Quetico Provincial Park, 40 kilometres from Atikokan.
Ferguson hopes to look into the closure decision further with The Beer Store and the provincial government.
