BrewDog will close its flagship bar and nine others across the UK as early as this Friday. The brewing giant will close two Scotland bars and eight in England, including its Aberdeen bar on Gallowgate, which opened in 2010 as BrewDog’s first venue.
According to BrewDog’s statements, the ten bars are no longer commercially viable, and the company will try and relocate staff to other venues within its roster. Unite Hospitality revealed on social media that venues could close as soon as this Friday, July 25. BrewDog’s Camden bar, which was the company’s first expansion into London, will shut down, as will two other London venues. The other Scottish site earmarked for closure is in Dundee.
After first opening in Aberdeen, the brewery became the seventh-largest beer brand in Britain with sales of £170.6million by the end of 2024, and according to its website, has more than 100 bars worldwide.
BrewDog CEO James Taylor said the closures were a proactive decision to “redefine the bar division’s focus” in a message to staff, and not simply due to the “challenging UK hospitality market”.
He explained that keeping them open would put pressure on the wider business and make it harder to invest in growth.
He said: “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.”
A spokesperson for BrewDog confirmed the decision to close ten bars after a review of the business, which “reflects a more focused strategy and a rationalisation of our bar footprint”.
They echoed the CEO’s sentiment that the hospitality market was not the only reason. They said BrewDog will redefine its focus on long-term growth while accounting for industry challenges, including “rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures”.
The statement concluded: “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.”
In England and Wales alone last year, more than 400 pubs closed, bringing the number below 39,000 for the first time.
Full list of UK closures
- Aberdeen
- Brighton
- Camden
- Dundee
- Leeds North Street
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- Shepherds Bush
- Shoreditch
- York