Whole Foods confirms it's closing multiple Toronto grocery stores

Bombshell claims about Whole Foods closing not just one, but multiple Toronto locations have been circulating on social media as of Friday morning from people who say they are current employees impacted by the shutdowns.

And, the company has now confirmed the allegations.

In a subreddit dedicated to news about the grocery empire, one user posted that the chain is preparing to shutter the store where they allegedly work in just a matter of days.

"Both Leaside and Yonge & Sheppard locations in Toronto, Canada are closing next week," they wrote shortly after 8 a.m Friday. They continued on to say that they were informed during a team huddle earlier that morning, bemoaning the last-minute layoff process.

The Leaside location in question is at 1860 Bayview Ave., near Eglinton Ave. E, while the Yonge and Sheppard store is in the Hullmark Centre at 4771 Yonge St.

A post to the r/wholefoods community on Reddit Friday morning broke the news of the alleged closure from someone who says they currently work at one of the Toronto stores set to close in the coming days.

Unfortunately for both workers and shoppers, upon our inquiry, Whole Foods did verify that the two supermarkets listed are indeed closing on August 22. 

"Like any retail business, we regularly evaluate each of our stores and make decisions to position the company for long-term success. We are actively exploring new sites to expand our footprint in Canada and look forward to opening more stores," a spokesperson told us.

They added that they are "committed to supporting all impacted team members and making any transition as seamless as possible," and also to "growing our Canada business and opening new stores."

Additionally, they revealed that one of said new stores will be debuting on King Street West sometime next year. Also, that there aren't any plans to fold any other locations beyond the two named.

The Texas-based brand — known for its healthy, organic grocery items and prepared meals — first made its foray into Canada in 2002 with a shop in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood.

Just over a decade later, it announced plans for what was considered an aggressive expansion north of the border, aiming to have dozens of Canadian outposts. It fell short of that goal, though, with only 14 stores nationwide at present.