Just four months after closing their 20-year-old Yorkville spot, upscale Italian grocer Pusateri’s might be facing new troubles with its Bayview Village location now shuttered.
Though Pusateri’s has yet to comment, insiders tell Streets of Toronto that the place is now locked up tight. An Instagram comment on Pusateri’s most recent post also hints at trouble brewing:
“What happened to your Bayview Village store,” the comment reads. “I and other shoppers were shocked to see it closed and empty.”
“… Several factors [are] driving a shift in the retail landscape, which impacted this property,” Pusateri’s marketing head, Paolo Pusateri, told Grocery Business magazine about the Yorkville closing.
The plan, he said, was to zero in on their three remaining spots — Avenue Road, Bayview Village and Eaton Centre — while also launching a new 10,000-square-foot store in Little Italy this spring. But with radio silence on that new location for quite some time, the question now looms: Will this store ever see the light of day?
We contacted Bayview Village Guest Services to inquire about the status of Pusateri’s and were informed that they are currently unsure of its status.
“We are still trying to reach someone from Pusateri’s. “For the time being, the store is temporarily closed.”
Salvatore Pusateri made his way to Toronto from Sicily in 1958, and just five years later, he launched his first venture — a humble produce market in Corso Italia. By 1986, his son Cosimo took the reins and revolutionized the business, turning that modest fruit stand into a gourmet grocery empire. The transformation kicked off with the debut of a 6,000-square-foot flagship at Lawrence Avenue West and Avenue Road.
View this post on Instagram
The announcement of the Little Italy location was met with great excitement, marking Pusateri’s return to its roots. Originally slated to open in the summer of 2023, the fine food store has faced ongoing delays. Despite the high hopes and anticipation, the company has remained tight-lipped about the reasons for the more-than-a-year-overdue opening.
Regarded as a cherished neighborhood for the Pusateri family — where the original Pusateri’s Supermarket opened its doors in 1963 — the new location at 899 College St. is set to span around 10,000 square feet. This upscale space promises to offer a broad selection of everyday essentials and specialty items, continuing the family’s legacy in a historic setting.
While the luxury grocery chain has seen a number of successful openings, including its food hall location at Saks Fifth Avenue Queen Street in the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, there have also been a number of closures in 2018, the Oakville location shuttered after a two year run, and in 2023, its food hall location at CF Sherway Gardens permanently closed.
Meanwhile, Italian mega-market Eataly has revealed plans to open its fourth Toronto location at the Eaton Centre in early 2025. With Toronto and New York being the only cities boasting at least three Eataly stores, Toronto is set to become the sole North American city with four Eataly locations.
