Closure: Beer store shutting down in Burlington, Ontario

The axe is falling on a Burlington Beer Store in what may be the first of many across Ontario.

Beer Store workers confirm that the store at 396 Elizabeth Street will be shutting down as of Jan. 19.

The closure comes in the wake of the expansion of beer and alcohol sales into grocery and convenience stores across the province.

“We knew this day was coming. It’s the beginning of the end of the Beer Store as we know it,” said a Beer Store employee who works at another location.

The employee said workers had been warned by their union that store closings would be inevitable once consumers could purchase beer almost anywhere.

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union represents the workers across the province.

The Elizabeth Street store is in the heart of downtown Burlington and has already faced competition from a nearby LCBO that also sells beer.

While beer has been stocked in large grocery stores for the past few years, Ontario Premier Doug Ford drastically changed the landscape earlier this year when he allowed beer and some wine products to be sold in convenience stores.

“We are giving consumers in Ontario the choice and convenience every other Canadian enjoys,” said Ford at the time. “People in Ontario, like many Canadians across the country, will have the option to responsibly and conveniently purchase a case of beer or a bottle of wine on their way up to the cottage or to a summer barbecue, all while having even more opportunity to support local Ontario breweries and wineries.”

In Burlington, there are about 80 locations where you can buy beer other than the Beer Store.