Wild Fork to close all four Ontario stores by mid-December, scrapping expansion plans

Wild Fork is pulling out of Canada, a move that will shutter its Ontario stores in Oakville and Whitby by the middle of December and end a once-aggressive push to build a 30-store network across the province.

The specialty grocery chain, which focuses on frozen meat and seafood, will close all four of its Canadian locations by Dec. 14, according to Connect CRE Canada. Online delivery and pickup service is scheduled to end Oct. 13.

The stores closing are at 2501 Hyde Park Gate in Oakville, 340 Taunton Rd. E. in Whitby, 1015 Golf Links Rd. in Ancaster and 7 Harry Walker Pkwy. S. in Newmarket.

Wild Fork is owned by JBS, one of the world's largest meat processing companies. It entered the Canadian market in 2023 and had been building out a real estate pipeline in Ontario, targeting leased spaces between 3,800 and 5,000 square feet, with a preference for grocery-anchored shopping centres where shoppers could pick up specialty proteins alongside a regular grocery run.

Its Oakville and Ancaster locations were larger than the typical format, each measuring just under 7,000 square feet.

As recently as last year, the company had identified 26 Ontario markets for potential expansion and was aiming for close to 30 stores before moving into British Columbia and Alberta, Connect CRE Canada reported.

Sudden reversal

The exit marks an abrupt about-face for a retailer that had signalled continued growth in Canada. Wild Fork opened a store-within-a-store location inside a Sobeys in Brantford only this summer, presenting the format as another avenue for expansion, and the company was still hiring in Ontario as recently as September.

After careful consideration, Wild Fork has made the difficult decision to exit the Canadian market and close our operations in Canada.

The company did not give a reason for the withdrawal in its statement.

The decision comes as the Canadian grocery real estate landscape shifts. Changes to Empire's grocery-related property restrictions have opened up new leasing opportunities for competing grocers, according to Connect CRE Canada, potentially increasing competition for the store spaces Wild Fork is vacating.

For shoppers in Oakville and Whitby, the closures mean the loss of a specialty option for frozen proteins in their communities, with about two months remaining to shop at the stores before the doors close for good.