Tillsonburg’s The Beer Store property is listed for sale

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Will Tillsonburg continue to have a The Beer Store location?

The answer to that question is pointing to the affirmative in the foreseeable future, but what has changed is the building at 114 Concession St. E. is for sale. With a price of $1.45 million, the one-acre property includes the 6,500 square-foot building.

The ad states there is a lease until 2030, but “Good rent upside potential if/when the current tenant vacates. This site offers strong development potential down the road as there has been a few new multi-family apartment buildings constructed in the vicinity showing good demand. Good opportunity for a developer to have a cash-flowing property in their pipeline for future development.”

Adam Dearborn, the listing agent with Re/Max Garden City Realty in St. Catharines, said it was listed in July.

“Just regular buying and selling properties,” he said in a phone interview last week. “The lease is good until 2030 so there is no mention of that location closing. No one from the Beer Store has mentioned this one. There’s been no conversation. Hopefully it stays open until 2030.”

The property is currently owned by a numbered company, and has been since 1921. Previously, it was owned by McGowan and Associates, a wealth management company.

The sale is set against a backdrop of numerous locations of The Beer Store being closed across the province, including Norwich.

Representatives of The Beer Store weren’t as clear when asked about the property sale.

“The Tillsonburg Beer Store retail location is a leased location. As The Beer Store is not the owner of the building, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on potential private real estate transaction,” said Bradley Hammond, manager of corporate communications for The Beer Store when asked about the future of the Tillsonburg location. “We do not comment or speculate about future changes to our retail network. If a decision to close a store is made, out of respect, the first people to know are our employees.”

Ozzie Ahmed, vice-president of retail for The Beer Store, was also cautionary.

“Where we buy beer and return empties in Ontario is changing. The Beer Store is modernizing operations to meet evolving consumer expectations. Unfortunately, this includes making the difficult decision to close some stores. This is not a decision we make lightly, and we only make such a decision after careful consideration. Out of respect for customers and our staff, it would be inappropriate to comment or speculate on future business decisions. During this time of change, two things will remain the same: The Beer Store will be the best destination in Ontario for ice-cold beer and home to a best-in-class recycling system.”