Craft beer brewer BrewDog announced it will be closing 38 sites across the UK despite being snapped up in a rescue deal by US company Tilray Brands – making 484 people redundant
A popular brewery and pub chain has announced it will close dozens of bars, making hundreds of people redundant.
BrewDog announced it will be closing 38 sites across the UK despite the Scottish craft beer brewer being snapped up in a rescue deal by a US firm. It means 484 jobs will be lost despite Tilray Brands buying the brand in a £33million deal. The sale came after BrewDog fell into administration on Monday, in a move which will leave the brand’s crowdfund investors empty handed.
Tilray Brands bought a number of BrewDog assets, including the global brand and related intellectual property, its UK brewing operation and 11 of its pub venues across the UK and Ireland. Among the sites closing down will be nine London bars, nine in Scotland and the DogHouse hotel in Manchester.
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You can use our interactive map below to check out which sites near you will be calling time, and which will be staying open.
Last month, BrewDog announced they had brought in consultants AlixPartners after the company failed to make a profit in recent years. They were appointed as administrators on Monday, with administrators confirming that the sale would result in the closure of most of BrewDog’s bars.
The company’s 18 franchise bars in the UK and internationally will continue to operate. The deal with Tilray will see the buyer, which produces medical cannabis as well as craft beer in the US, take control of BrewDog facilities including its brewery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, and The Hop Hub, a national distribution centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire.
It will also keep 733 jobs in the UK, with employees transferring to Tilray. The brewer, behind craft beer such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, closed its pubs on Monday as it sought to confirm the takeover deal.
BrewDog bars that have closed
- Basingstoke
- Bath
- Bournemouth
- Bristol – Baldwin Street
- Bristol – Harbourside
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Carlisle
- Cheltenham
- Exeter
- Liverpool
- London – Soho
- London – Camden Road
- London – Chancery Lane
- London – Clerkenwell
- London – Ealing
- London – Hammersmith
- London – Seething Lanes
- London – Tower Bridge
- London – Wandsworth
- DogHouse Manchester
- Manchester Outpost
- Milton Keynes
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Reading
- Southampton
- Aberdeen – Castlegate
- Aberdeen – Union Square
- Edinburgh – Cowgate
- Glasgow – Merchant City
- Glasgow – Argyle Street
- Inverurie
- Perth
- St Andrews
- Stirling
BrewDog’s chief executive, James Taylor, emailed staff on Sunday to let them know pubs would be closed the next day. The email read: “We appreciate this is an unsettling time for everyone and we want to ensure that all colleagues have the opportunity to hear directly from us about what happens next.
“We will therefore be holding a series of company-wide All Hands calls tomorrow [Monday] for all employees across the whole business. These will be scheduled tomorrow. To enable everyone to attend, and to comply with licensing issues arising from an anticipated change of ownership, we have taken the decision that none of our bars will be open tomorrow [Monday]. All sites will remain closed for the day. We have also cancelled food and beer deliveries, as well as customer bookings, for that day.”
BrewDog bars acquired by Tilray
- Birmingham
- Manchester – Peter Street
- Ellon – DogTap
- DogHouse Edinburgh
- Edinburgh – Lothian Road
- Dublin
- London – Canary Wharf
- London – Paddington
- London – Seven Dials
- London – Tower Hill
- London – Waterloo
It is believed that founder James Watt was among the parties to hold talks in a bid to secure a potential takeover. But uncertainty at the business had led to questions from those who have invested in the company through its “equity for punks” scheme.
The company held a number of crowdfunding initiatives up to 2021. Administrators confirmed that any equity holders, including “equity for punks” investors, will be left empty handed and not receive any returns from the deal.
Clare Kennedy, partner and managing director at AlixPartners, said: “As one would expect over the past two weeks, we have received significant interest in the BrewDog business from prospective buyers across both the trade and investment communities. In Tilray, we have secured a purchaser with a passion for craft brewing who will be an excellent custodian and sponsor of the business in the months and years ahead.”
Tilray is separately negotiating deals to buy certain BrewDog assets in the US and Australia. Irwin D Simon, chairman and chief executive of Tilray Brands, said: “BrewDog is one of the most iconic, mission-driven craft beer brands in the UK.
“It helped redefine modern craft beer through bold innovation, fearless creativity and an unwavering commitment to great beer. As we begin a new chapter for this great brand, our priority is to refocus BrewDog on the craft beer excellence that made it beloved in the first place and strategically invest to return the operations to profitable growth. BrewDog’s future is bright, and we are committed to ensuring the brand continues to lead and inspire the global craft beer movement.”
Unite, which represents thousands of hospitality workers, said it was a “devastating day” and pledged to secure “legal and financial justice” for its members. Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, added: “BrewDog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns.”
