Sobeys is permanently closing one of its most popular Toronto locations

One pocket of Toronto is about to lose a key grocery store that has served the community for many years: its local Sobeys.

The Kipling location of the supermarket chain, a tenured and well-frequented staple of the plaza at 1255 The Queensway, is slated to shut down this fall.

Although Sobeys Inc.'s head office has remained hush-hush about the forthcoming closure, some employees have been gradually informing customers about the news on the down-low.

One shopper shared the scoop with fellow members of a South Etobicoke community Facebook group earlier this month, stating that during their last visit, they were told the store will close its doors for good on Nov. 1, 2025.

Staff members at not just the location in question, but also the nearby Sobeys a few kilometres east on The Queensway, confirmed the rumours about the Kipling outpost to us over the phone on Thursday.

They reiterated the same November shuttering date, adding that customers can likely expect some closeout sales closer to that time, similar to the ones held by Whole Foods when it folded two of its Toronto supermarkets last month.

A representative from Sobeys corporate told blogTO that the move is "part of our strategic plan to enhance our offerings and better serve our customers."

"Operational and real estate decisions are based on several factors including customer habits, community demographics and more, and it is in line with our normal course of business to review our assets in this way," they explained.

Dozens of residents are already airing their frustrations about the loss online, largely because of the fact that it appears related to a condo proposal on the table for the site.

A post to a community Facebook group revealing that the Sobeys at 1255 The Queensway is allegedly closing in the coming months, which staff confirmed via phone on Thursday.

Documents recently filed with the City of Toronto pitch a sprawling 13-tower complex at 1255 The Queensway, with buildings as high as 65 floors housing total of 7,360 units. Per zoning laws, at least a portion of these would have to be either affordable purpose-built rentals or affordable condos.

Some have pointed out in Facebook comments on the subject, though, that it seems peculiar for other businesses to have recently moved into the plaza or extended their leases — such as sportswear store SVP's warehouse outlet, which just opened last November — if redevelopment is indeed soon on the horizon.

Others lamented that this segment of the Etobicoke thoroughfare is becoming "condo doomed," with so many new large-scale housing projects on the go.

Other Toronto Sobeys that have met their end in recent years are the one at Laird and Wicksteed, which turned into a Farm Boy last year, and the 850 Dupont and 81 St. Clair Ave. E. stores in 2021.