Bothwell Beer Store to close next month as provincial modernization continues
The town of Bothwell lost its LCBO store five years ago when the building’s roof collapsed.
Next month, residents will see the doors of the Beer Store outlet close for good. The Bothwell Beer Store’s last day will be Sunday, Aug. 24.
The Beer Store announced the closure of the Bothwell outlet, as well as nine others in Ontario, last week in a media release on its website. Four of the closures are in the GTA, while the other five are in stores in eastern and northern Ontario.
The latest closings are among more than 70 outlets that have shut their doors since the Ford government ended its exclusivity agreement with the Beer Store, which is owned by Molson, Labatt and Sleeman.
The only other outlets closing so far in southwestern Ontario are the Goyeau St. and College Ave. stores in Windsor, as Sunday was the last day for both 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,” said Ozzie Ahmed, vice-president for retail of The Beer Store. “We are modernizing operations and focusing on what we do best, selling ice-cold beer, great customer service and a world-leading recycling system that gets customers their deposit money back.”
Ahmed also stated that The Beer Store recognizes the contributions that its employees make to the business.
“All efforts will be made to support employees through this process in alignment with commitments and agreements,” Ahmed said.
The Beer Store did not respond to an inquiry by The Ridgetown Independent News asking why the Bothwell outlet was among the 10 being closed.
Beer will still be available at the Bothwell Dairy Case, located at 271 Main Street.
Local residents, however, will have to drive to the closest Beer Store outlets in Ridgetown or Rodney to get returns on empties.
The closures are part of a modernization plan that the Ford government enacted in the 2024 deal, which first allowed beer, wine and mixed drinks to be sold in select grocery stores before expanding to convenience stores last year.
Currently, there are over 7,000 grocery and convenience stores licensed to sell select alcoholic beverages in Ontario.
As a part of the agreement, The Beer Store agreed to keep at least 300 locations open through 2025. However, the Beer Store can close as many outlets as it wants in 2026.
Also in the new year, all grocery stores that sell alcohol will be required to return empties, starting Jan. 1, 2026.
The unanswered inquiry to Beer Store management was also an inquiry to whether any more outlets in Chatham-Kent—specifically, two locations in Chatham and one each in Ridgetown, Blenheim, Tilbury, and Wallaceburg—are under consideration for closure.
