Two Beer Stores northern Ont. will close in October

Two more northern Ontario Beer Store locations, in Little Current and Noelville, will close Oct. 19 amid broader modernization efforts.

Two Beer Store locations in northern Ontario are among a dozen sites slated for closure, officials announced Monday.

Store locations in Little Current and Noëlville will close at the end of the business day Oct. 19.

“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,” Ozzie Ahmed, the Beer Store’s vice-president of retail, said in the news release.

“The Beer Store recognizes the contributions our employees make to the business and in the communities where we operate. All efforts will be made to support employees through this process in alignment with commitments and agreements.”

The two store closures follow the closure of locations in Azilda and Levack last month. The Beer Store is closing sites across the province as part of a deal with the province to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer.

Part of the new agreement with the Beer Store includes keeping at least 300 locations open until Dec. 31.

The Beer Store will continue with its bottle and can recycling program until at least 2031. Grocery stores that sell beer will have to begin accepting empties through the Ontario Deposit Return Program starting Jan. 1, 2026.

But there is concern that many grocery stores are not equipped to handle empties and could instead opt to stop selling beer.