Vocation Brewery has shuttered two of its Vocation & Co bars to focus on growing sales in the on and off-trade channels.
The brewer’s bars in Halifax and Sheffield have now closed, with its flagship site in Hebden Bridge remaining open.
“The closures have been a difficult, carefully considered decision and will enable us to concentrate resources and investment on building on Vocation’s momentum during the past year,” said a Vocation spokesperson.
Vocation had seen “double-digit growth” in on-trade volumes in the past year, whilst also growing its share in the off-trade, the spokesperson said. Value sales in grocery are up 2.9% on a 2.4% rise in volumes, outperforming the wider craft beer market which is down 9.6% and 12.5% in value and volumes respectively [NIQ 52 w/e 5 September 2026].
“Focusing our efforts on these areas is a natural next step in driving long-term, scalable growth,” they added.
It is not clear how many employees will be affected by the closures. Vocation said only that it was “working closely with staff across the two venues, supporting them during these changes”. The Grocer has approached the business for further comment.
It comes amid sweeping changes at Vocation at a leadership level. In September, Gail Lumsden, who joined the board in 2021, stepped down as CEO and executive chair.
John Brooks, Vocation chief financial officer, has taken on the role of interim CEO alongside his existing responsibilities while the board seeks a permanent CEO.
Meanwhile, Andrew Winning has joined Vocation as non-executive chair, following an extensive career across brewing, drinks and hospitality at businesses including Bass and Marston’s.
Losses before tax at Vocation Brewery grew from £582k to £966k in the year ended 31 March 2025, the most recently available results of the business at Companies House showed.
Sales, meanwhile, were broadly flat year on year, at around £17.2m.
Vocation’s new growth strategy was focused around “scaling its premium core brands across the on and off-trade, while using purposeful innovation to respond to evolving tastes and drinking occasions”, the brewer said.
No comments yet