Buyer Emerges for Crown Royal Bottling Plant Months After Controversial Closure

(Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP)

A buyer has emerged for the former Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, several months after Diageo shuttered the facility and eliminated more than 200 jobs.

Diageo confirmed it has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the property, though the company declined to identify the buyer or disclose financial terms. The transaction remains subject to due diligence and customary closing conditions.

“The process remains confidential and we are not currently in a position to share details regarding the purchaser,” a Diageo spokesperson said, according to CP24. “We will share additional information when appropriate.”

The company first listed the property for sale in December 2025 before officially closing the bottling plant in February 2026, ending decades of operations at the Amherstburg facility.

The closure sparked backlash from Ontario officials, including Premier Doug Ford, who threatened to remove Crown Royal products from provincial liquor stores before reaching an agreement with Diageo. Under that deal, the company committed to invest $23 million across Ontario, including $1 million earmarked for Windsor-Essex.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue welcomed news that a buyer has been found but said the identity of the purchaser and the property’s future remain unknown.

“I am very pleased that some movement is taking place,” Prue said, according to CP24. “It would be a shame for this to sit idle for too long.”

Prue said both parties will now complete due diligence, including reviewing financial terms and determining whether the buyer’s intended use of the property complies with local regulations. If rezoning is required, the proposal would need approval from Amherstburg town council.

The mayor said his priority is seeing the site return to productive use and, ideally, create new employment opportunities to help offset the more than 200 jobs lost when the plant closed.

“We would like whatever will employ the most people; that’s the use that we hope we can get out of it,” Prue said.

There is no timeline for when the due diligence process will be completed or when the identity of the buyer may be revealed.

The bottling plant has long been associated with Crown Royal, one of Diageo’s flagship North American whiskey brands, and its closure became one of the highest-profile spirits industry layoffs in Canada earlier this year.