Potential buyer stepping up to save Crown Royal bottling plant set to close
Posted October 17, 2025 3:20 pm.
Last Updated October 19, 2025 10:20 am.
At least one company is said to be in serious talks to take over a southwestern Ontario bottling plant set to close early next year after spirits maker Diageo announced plans to shift some of its operations to the U.S.
The facility in Amherstburg, Ont., which bottles Crown Royal products, is scheduled to close in February in a move the company said is aimed at improving its North American supply chain.
The closure is expected to affect 200 jobs.
Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue says a company that produces both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is interested in purchasing the plant and possibly some of the adjacent properties. While he would not divulge the name of the company, citing ongoing talks, Prue tells CityNews it’s up to Premier Doug Ford to step up and help facilitate the deal.
“The ball is now in the Premier’s hands. He has options that the municipality does not have,” said Prue, adding that one of the conditions of the sale is that the company gets a listing for its products at the LCBO.
“There’s no sense in spending $50 or $60 million and once they get there, find that they can’t sell their liquor in Ontario.”
A spokesperson for Diageo tells CityNews they have not been approached by a buyer.
“Our current focus is on engaging with the union and supporting our employees, and so we do not plan to list the property until after we have concluded negotiations with Unifor,” read the statement. “However, if prior to that there were to be a potential purchaser with a credible plan to continue operating the facility as a going concern who committed upfront to retain unionized jobs, we would certainly engage in discussions.”
Ford, who reacted angrily to the news by pouring out a bottle of Crown Royal during a media event in September, has threatened to remove the company’s liquor from LCBO stores.
“The good news is we have three companies that are very interested in their facility, buying their facility, taking on their employees,” he said at the time. “But as sure as I’m sitting here, that Crown Royal is coming off those shelves the second the last person walks out.”
Diageo has said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
