Brewdog Announces Major UK Bar Closures Following £33 Million Acquisition by Tilray Brands
The renowned craft beer company Brewdog has revealed plans to close 39 of its bars across the United Kingdom after being sold to the US-based consumer packaged goods giant Tilray Brands in a deal valued at £33 million. This significant restructuring will result in the loss of 484 jobs, as confirmed by administrators on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Details of the Sale and Impact on Operations
Under the terms of the acquisition, Tilray Brands will preserve 11 Brewdog sites in key locations, including Birmingham, London, and Manchester. Currently, Brewdog operates a global network of 72 bars alongside four breweries, but the closures mark a substantial reduction in its UK presence. The decision follows the appointment of restructuring firm AlixPartners in February to oversee the sale process, after Brewdog struggled to achieve profitability in recent years.
Clare Kennedy, a Partner and Managing Director at AlixPartners, commented on the sale, stating, "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."
Employee Support and Internal Communications
Kennedy emphasized the priority of supporting affected staff, adding, "Having done so, our priority now is to support, to the fullest extent possible, those people whose roles have been made redundant, and we would ask operators within the UK leisure sector who are in a position to assist to contact us at any time." The news was communicated to employees through an internal email from Brewdog's chief executive, James Taylor, who announced a series of company-wide meetings on March 2. To facilitate attendance and address licensing issues related to the ownership change, all Brewdog bars remained closed for the day, with cancelled food and beer deliveries and customer bookings.
The email read, "We appreciate 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. 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 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."
List of Brewdog Sites Affected by the Sale
Sites Acquired by Tilray and Remaining Open:
- Birmingham
- London Canary Wharf
- London Paddington
- London Seven Dials
- London Tower Hill
- London Waterloo
- Manchester - Peter Street
- DogHouse Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Lothian Road
- Ellon - DogTap
- Dublin
Sites to Close:
- Basingstoke
- Bath
- Bournemouth
- Bristol Baldwin Street
- Bristol Harbourside
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Carlisle
- Cheltenham
- Exeter
- Soho
- London Camden Road
- London Chancery Lane
- Clerkenwell
- Ealing
- Hammersmith
- London Seething Lane
- Tower Bridge
- Wandsworth
- Liverpool
- 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
This development highlights the challenges faced by the craft beer industry amid economic pressures, with Brewdog's restructuring reflecting broader trends in the UK leisure and hospitality sectors. The closure of nearly 40 bars underscores the impact of corporate acquisitions on local businesses and employment, as communities across the UK brace for the loss of popular social venues.
