The Beer Store is making the difficult decision to close the retail stores listed below
effective end of business day November 16th , 2025.
The Beer Store (TBS) will close the following retail stores:
• Alexandria 118 Main St. N., Alexandria, ON, K0C 1A0
• Barrie 299 Blake St., Barrie, ON, L4M 1K7
• Brampton 374 Main St. N., Brampton, ON, L6V 1P8
• Beaverton 553 Mara Rd., Beaverton, ON, L0K 1A0
• Cornwall 960 Brookdale Ave., Unit 7, Cornwall, ON, K6J 4P5
• Gananoque 580 King St. E., Gananoque, ON, K7G 1H2
• South River 310 Hwy. #124, PO Box 160, South River, ON, P0A 1X0
“Selling beer and collecting empties in Ontario is changing as part of marketplace
expansion. 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. We know this is difficult news for
consumers, recyclers and our employees,” said Ozzie Ahmed, VP Retail TBS.
“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.”
NEW – Empty Return Locator
The Beer Store launched a new Empty Return Locator to make it easier than ever to
find a Beer Store or alternative retailer that is accepting empties.
Consumers can find the locators on the Beer Store’s website. Visit
www.thebeerstore.ca, in the navigation bar select ‘Returning Empties’. This menu will
drop down, then select ‘where to Return Empties’.
“We’ve been accepting empties and returning customer deposit money for generations
– we are recycling leaders,” said Ozzie Ahmed, VP Retail TBS. “Ontarians want to
recycle – we’re making it simple and convenient to find Beer Store and other authorized
locations.”
Empty Returns
The Beer Store encourages customers to continue returning more than the 1.6 billion
alcohol containers we process annually to one of our local TBS locations or an empty
return dealer located close by. The following alcohol containers purchased in Ontario
can be returned to collect your deposit back: beer, wine and spirits bottles, aluminum
cans, plastic bottles, tetra packs and kegs.
All grocery stores that sell alcohol will be required to accept the return of empties and
refund customer deposits starting January 1, 2026. This is part of consumer retail
alcohol modernization, found in the Early Implementation Agreement and provincial
regulations.
To help ensure that customers can still purchase beer and return empties conveniently,
we encourage customers to use one of the following resources:
• To find the closest Beer Store location, please visit our website at
www.thebeerstore.ca/locations.
• To find an alternative beer retailer, please use the Province’s website locator at:
Where to buy Alcoholic Beverages.
• To source the nearest Empty Return Location site, please visit The Beer Store Where to
Return Empties store locator at: www.thebeerstore.ca/where-to-return-empties
To learn more about The Beer Store’s sustainability efforts and why returning empties is
beneficial for your community, please see our latest Stewardship Report Delivering
Circular Solutions for Ontario. Visit Stewardship Report | The Beer Store.
