Whole Foods is set to close two of its Toronto locations this month, and it will be offering significant discounts to its customers as it winds down operations.
The American grocery chain, known for its sustainability efforts, health-focused products, and organic produce, said it will be permanently closing its Yonge and Sheppard and Leaside stores on Aug. 22.
“Like any retail business, we regularly evaluate each of our stores and make decisions to position the company for long-term success,” a Whole Foods Market spokesperson said to Now Toronto in an email statement on Monday.
As of Aug. 16 and Aug. 17, both stores have been offering massive closing sales, with discounts of up to 50 and 60 per cent off a wide range of products.
On Monday, the retailer further increased the discount to 70 per cent, planning to keep the cheap offers until the locations’ official closing dates.
The health-focused company says it is committed to supporting team members impacted by the store closures, making any transition as seamless as possible.
However, one Reddit user who claims to work for Whole Foods alleges the company gave short layoff notices during a work huddle and offered limited alternative work options.
“Less than a week notice, everyone getting laid off, no transfer system, we’re all just out on our a**es. People were crying, this is a big shock,” the Redditor said in a post.
According to the user, the company is allegedly offering severance packages to employees based on length of service, but says that they plan to contact an employment lawyer to explore further options.
“Wow, I’m so sorry. What a shock,” one Reddit user commented in response to the post.
“This is not good for Canada,” another user said.
“Meanwhile an employee is expected to give two weeks [notice]. They clearly knew they were closing these stores more than a week beforehand,” a different user added.
“I have a fear this might happen to my store too. We’ve been having a lot of visitors lately from higher ups, like way more in a short time span than normal. It makes me wonder if they’re checking it out to see if it’s worth keeping around since there’s another WF in the area that makes way more than us and is a lot newer with a newer building. Ugh, I feel like something might be going on,” another Redditor said.
Despite sudden store closures, Whole Foods Market Yorkville and Markham locations will remain open, with the company sharing its plans to open a new location on King St. W. in 2026.
“We are actively exploring new sites to expand our footprint in Canada and look forward to opening more stores, including a new Toronto location on King Street West, which is expected to open next year,” Whole Foods said in a statement.
