BrewDog has closed all of its UK bars today (2 March) as it prepares to complete the sale of its business.
In an email to staff on Sunday, BrewDog CEO James Taylor said the business would shut all of its bars to comply with licensing requirements and allow staff to attend company-wide meetings scheduled to take place on Monday.
“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,” Taylor said. “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.”
The sale of BrewDog is expected to be announced in a matter of days, with brewers including Tennent’s owner C&C Group and Danish outfit Royal Unibrew thought to be among the frontrunners to acquire the Scottish beer firm.
Former CEO James Watt is now believed to be out of the running to buy back control of the business he founded alongside Martin Dickie in 2007.
Read more: Why a BrewDog fire-sale is likely to leave investors empty handed.
Meanwhile, a leaked email sent by Taylor on Friday confirmed BrewDog’s German unit, which includes a brewery in Berlin and three bars, would not be included in any sale and would therefore be liquidated.
Taylor added BrewDog had also taken additional “temporary operational steps” including suspending e-commerce sales as it prepared for new ownership.
BrewDog appointed restructuring firm AlixPartners last month to run an accelerated sale of its business, following five years of consecutive pre-tax losses.
The business employs around 1,400 people, and operates four breweries and more than 100 bars in over 60 countries.
In the year to 31 December 2024, it reported net revenues of £280m, with pre-tax losses of £36.6m.
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