An agreement has been reached for the former Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont. A spokesperson for Diageo, the whiskey brand’s parent company, confirmed a purchase sale agreement has been signed. “The process remains confidential and we are not currently in a position to share details regarding the purchaser. We will share additional information when appropriate,” the spokesperson said in an email. The company put the property on the market in December 2025. In February, the bottling plant closed, leaving more than 200 employees out of work. Michael Prue, the mayor of Amherstburg, told CTV News he’s unsure who plans to purchase the property. “I am very pleased that some movement is taking place. It would be a shame for this to sit idle for too long,” Prue told CTV News. Due diligence will be completed between Diageo and the buyer regarding potential uses, conditions and the financials, Prue explained. “They both have to do what is called due diligence to make sure that the money is right, and what they want to do with the property is legal, and would be binding before it can be sold,” Prue said. The property, which sits in a high-traffic area, has been the talk of the town in recent months over how it will be used. Once the purchase is finalized, Prue said he’s hopeful that plans will include new jobs to replace those lost. “We would like whatever will employ the most people; that’s the use that we hope we can get out of it,” Prue said. Should the buyer require the property to be rezoned as part of a sale agreement, Prue said the matter would come before town council for approval. Ahead of the plant’s closure, Diageo struck an agreement with the Ontario government, which included $23 million in investments across the province, including $1 million directly tied to Windsor-Essex. As a result, Premier Doug Ford’s government backed off threats to pull Crown Royal products from Ontario shelves. There is no timeline for when due diligence will be completed or whether details of a deal will be announced.
