Metro store at Church and Yonge closes this summer, reopens as Food Basics this fall
The North York location will shut down August 13 and reopen under Metro's discount banner, reflecting a shift in the neighbourhood's retail needs.
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A Metro supermarket at 20 Church Avenue, just south of Yonge and Finch in North York, will close its doors on August 13 and reopen as a Food Basics location later this fall.
Metro Inc., which owns both the full-service Metro chain and the discount Food Basics banner, said the switch reflects changing neighbourhood conditions. "This decision is about having the right store in the right neighbourhood," a Metro spokesperson said in a statement. "We regularly and carefully assess our network based on local market conditions, and in this case, a Food Basics store is better suited to meet customer needs in the area."
The building itself has a long retail history. Before becoming a Metro, it housed a Dominion supermarket. Dominion, a defunct brand, was sold to The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), and its Canadian division was later acquired by Metro, which rebranded all remaining Dominion stores in 2008.
Food Basics already operates another location further south on Yonge Street near Sheppard Avenue West. The conversion is part of a broader pattern across Toronto, where major grocery chains have been shifting locations to discount banners to match evolving neighbourhood demographics. In October, a Loblaws store at RioCan Empress on Yonge Street closed to make way for a T&T supermarket. Earlier this year, Loblaw announced its grocery store and pharmacy at Dundas West would close in May to become a No Frills location.
