Brewdog to close 38 bars for good with 484 jobs axed | UK | News
BrewDog will close 38 pubs with 484 jobs lost after it was not included in US firm Tilray’s £33 million rescue deal, executives at the Scottish brewer have said. Tilray, which owns several craft breweries in the US, said it had acquired a number of BrewDog assets, including the global brand and related intellectual property, its UK brewing operation and 11 pub venues in the UK and Ireland.
It is negotiating separate deals to acquire certain BrewDog assets in the U.S. and Australia. The Scotland-based brewer, which produces craft beers such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, closed its taprooms on Monday to confirm the acquisition. In February, consultant AlixPartners was called in to oversee the sales process.
BrewDog operates four breweries as well as 72 bars worldwide. It is understood the pub closures are a result of the change in control of the business and associated licensing agreements.
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The brand was founded in 2007 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie and has grown impressively over the past two decades, but has faced financial difficulties in recent years.
Chief executive James Taylor told staff in an internal email: “We recognize this is an unsettling time for everyone and we want to ensure all colleagues have the opportunity to hear directly from us about what happens next.
“So tomorrow (Monday) we will be carrying out a series of company-wide All Hands searches for all employees across the entire business. These will be scheduled tomorrow.
“To ensure everyone can attend and to comply with licensing issues arising from the expected change of ownership, we have taken the decision that none of our bars will open tomorrow (Monday). All our bars will remain closed throughout the day.
“We have also canceled food and beer deliveries as well as customer reservations for that day.”
