Major pub chain Brewdog is closing nine of its bars today, including its flagship location. The pub chain allegedly gave staff just three days’ notice before shutting a number of its bars. One of its bars has already closed, as Camden locals saw their local Brewdog shut its doors for the last time. Today sees the other nine bars close as part of the pub’s ten closures. Brewdog bosses claimed in a statement that the bars are no longer commercially viable.
The company said it will try to relocate staff to other venues within its roster. Brewdog first opened in Aberdeen and quickly expanded across the UK, becoming known for serving craft beer. With more than 100 bars worldwide, it became the seventh-largest beer brand in Britain with sales of £170.6 million by the end of 2024. An update shared with staff reveals that bosses want to close the ten bars to “redefine the bar division’s focus”, and that the closures weren’t only due to the “challenging UK hospitality market”.
The Brewdog pubs that are closing today are:
- Aberdeen flagship (Gallowgate)
- Brighton
- Dundee
- Leeds North Street
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- Shepherds Bush
- Shoreditch
- York
BrewDog CEO James Taylor said in a message to staff: “Despite our best efforts, and the hard work of the teams in each of these bars, it has simply not been possible to find a formula to make these bars viable due to their size, location and other limiting factors.
“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. But as we evolve BrewDog into a more focused and sustainable business, we’ve had to be honest about where we are – and where we’re heading.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson shared: “We are working hard to minimise the impact on our people, and we expect to redeploy many affected team members across the BrewDog network. For those leaving the business, we’re providing as much support as possible during this transition.
“We remain passionate and firmly committed to our bars, and optimistic about the future, as we still see significant long-term opportunity.”
They explained that the decision to close the bars “reflects a more focused strategy and a rationalisation of our bar footprint”. The spokesperson listed a number of challenges that the pub chain is up against, including “rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures”.