Loblaws store in a Toronto mall is shutting down this month

A high-traffic Loblaws store is set to close its doors this month, leaving an uncertain future for a massive retail presence in a busy Toronto mall.

The Loblaws store located in RioCan Empress at 5095 Yonge St., is preparing to shutter its doors at the end of October, staff confirmed to blogTO via phone call on Thursday.

Sitting below one of the longest freestanding escalators in North America, the Loblaws location has anchored the shopping centre for decades, and will officially bid farewell to the neighbourhood on Saturday, Oct. 25.

This closure comes just after a wave of Loblaws-owned stores transitioned into No Frills locations last year amid accusations of price gouging and shrinkflation, including the Loblaws at Broadview and Danforth, as well as Marcello's Independent Grocer at King and Shaw.

Although you'll have only a few more weeks to shop at the Empress Loblaws store, it is worth noting that there are plenty of alternatives in the area, including a Longo's at Yonge and Sheppard, a Metro at Yonge and Church Avenue, as well as Loblaws locations at Bayview Village Shopping Centre, and another further down Yonge Street at 3501 Yonge St.

blogTO has reached out to Loblaw to inquire about the reasoning behind the store's closure and any potential plans to convert it into a No Frills location, but has not received a response at the time of this article's publication.

The Loblaws store is located at 5095 Yonge St.