Toronto’s beloved upscale grocer Pusateri’s has confirmed to Streets of Toronto that their Bayview Village location has indeed closed. In an unexpected twist, the highly anticipated Little Italy location, which was slated to open this summer, will no longer be opening.
A representative from Pusateri’s Avenue Road store provided clarity on the situation. “It’s just the Bayview location that has closed. We’re still fully operational here at Avenue Road, and the Eaton Centre location operates as a food hall, so it’s just that part of the store that’s open,” the rep stated.
Regarding the Little Italy store, the representative added, “That one is not opening. They just want to do some consolidating, and that’s all the information I have.”
The closure of the Bayview Village store comes after Pusateri’s previously announced plans to focus on their remaining locations and a new 10,000-square-foot store in Little Italy. The sudden decision to halt the Little Italy opening has left many customers and industry watchers surprised by the news.
Over the weekend, Ida Pusateri announced on Instagram that the company will consolidate to their flagship Avenue Road store, and close the Bayview Village and planned Little Italy locations.Â
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 “While not an easy decision, certainly no one is more disappointed than us to see years of work come to an end, but we know it to be a necessary step to ensure the long term success and sustainability of our brand so we keep all our attention and focus on serving you, our customers, with the best products and service around,” the post read.Â
Pusateri’s Head of Marketing, Paolo Pusateri, confirmed the news to Streets of Toronto via email.
“Yes, regrettably, the Bayview Village location has permanently closed in response to ongoing financial pressures impacting business operations, lingering effects of COVID, and higher operational costs,” he told us in an email.
“Pusateri’s has decided to consolidate our operations, including catering, into our flagship Avenue Road location, in an effort to preserve value, maintain our premium service and to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of our brand. Pusateri’s Eaton Center will also remain open in a limited capacity as a food service-only operation.”
The closure of the Bayview Village store and the cancellation of the Little Italy location mark significant shifts for Pusateri’s, which has been a cornerstone of Toronto’s gourmet food scene since 1963. Despite the setbacks, the Avenue Road and Queen Street locations continue to serve customers, but the abrupt changes raise questions about the future of Pusateri’s expansion strategy.
In contrast, Italian retail giant Eataly is forging ahead with its expansion plans, announcing the opening of its fourth Toronto location at the Eaton Centre, scheduled for early 2025.  The Italian mega centre will be taking over the 200,000-square-foot space in the mall that was formerly occupied by Nordstrom’s.
Although the exact opening date remains unconfirmed, the new location is anticipated to launch in early 2025 and will be the largest of the four Toronto  locations.
