Midwest Co-op is closing two more retail stores, including its location in Wiarton.
The member-owned co-op announced in a news release Thursday its Wiarton retail location on Berford Street is scheduled to close on Jan. 15, 2027. The agricultural co-operative is also shuttering its Belgrave location on March 12, 2027.
Several other Midwest Co-op retail stores in the region have been shut down in recent years, due to a lack of profitability in what the co-operative calls a changing retail marketplace. Midwest Co-op locations in Mildmay and Chesley were closed earlier this year, as well as stores in Owen Sound in 2025 and Dundalk in 2024.
According to a release from Midwest Co-op, the store locations to close and those previously shut down “have either been operating at a financial loss or have not generated the minimum return necessary to justify continued investment of members’ resources.”
“Closing locations is a difficult decision,” Midwest Co-op General Manager Allan Williamson says. “But changing shopping habits and increased online competition have made some locations financially unsustainable. As a member-owned co-op, we have a responsibility to protect our members’ investments and ensure long-term sustainability.”
A release from Midwest Co-op says products traditionally purchased through rural co-operative stores are now widely available through online retailers, national chains and other competitors.
“At the same time, the agricultural industry has evolved from a large number of smaller family farms to fewer, much larger operations with different purchasing habits and service requirements,” the statement from the co-op says.
Midwest Co-op is a member-owned agricultural and retail cooperative formed in 2022 through the merger of Huron Bay Co-operative and North Wellington Co-operative Services. It is headquartered in Teeswater, and provides retail, agronomy, energy and agricultural services.
The co-operative says the planned closure of retail storefronts in Wiarton and in Belgrave does not mean it is withdrawing from these communities. Its Belgrave Agronomy operation will also remain fully operational, and won’t be affected by the retail store closure.
“Products and services will remain accessible through Midwest Co-op’s network of delivery trucks and remaining locations, allowing customers to continue doing business without a local retail storefront,” a statement from the co-op explains.
There are several other Midwest Co-op retail locations in Bruce and Grey counties, including an express stop at its Port Elgin fuel facility, and locations in Markdale, Durham and Hanover. The co-op also has cardlock fuel stations as part of its network, and agronomy centres in Dundalk and in Walkerton.