BrewDog buyout: 484 jobs lost as 38 bars close
US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray has bought BrewDog’s UK brewing operations, brand, and 11 pubs in a £33 million (US$43.9m) deal that has resulted in the loss of 484 hospitality jobs.
Last month, management consultancy firm AlixPartners was brought in to oversee a sales process for Aberdeenshire-based BrewDog after it failed to make a profit in recent years.
The appointment followed the news in January that BrewDog would close its distilling arm after 10 years in operation. It stopped production of its spirits brands, which include Lonewolf Gin, Abstrakt Vodka, Duo Rum, Casa Rayos Tequila, and Ron Bodega rum.
BrewDog had previously invested millions of pounds into its distilling business and rebranded its spirits portfolio several times. It raised £19m (US$26m) in the fourth round of its Equity for Punks crowdfunding scheme in 2016 to support the inaugural spirits venture.
After “significant interest”, AlixPartners received an offer for the brewing business, but “regrettably”, not one that would preserve BrewDog in its entirety.
“No offer was made at any stage of the sales process, from any prospective bidder, which would have preserved BrewDog in its entirety,” AlixPartners said in a statement.
Tilray has agreed to buy BrewDog’s brand, intellectual property, UK brewing operations and 11 ‘strategic’ bars in the UK and Ireland, preserving 733 jobs.
The venues acquired by Tilray in England are Birmingham and Peter Street in Manchester, as well as London’s Canary Wharf, Paddington, Seven Dials, Tower Hill, and Waterloo sites.
In Scotland, three venues have been rescued: DogTap in Ellon, DogHouse Edinburgh, and Edinburgh Lothian Road.
Ireland’s Dublin venue was also saved.
The US company will also take control of BrewDog’s national distribution centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire.
Tilray said it is negotiating separately to buy BrewDog assets in the US and Australia.
‘The price for boardroom failure’
AlixPartners confirmed that under the new deal, “a total of 38 bars in the UK will close with immediate effect, leading to 484 redundancies.”
BrewDog’s 18 franchise bars in the UK and internationally will continue to operate.
The administrators have encouraged other leisure operators in the UK to offer employment opportunities elsewhere in the sector.
Trade union Unite, which represents thousands of hospitality workers, commented on the deal: “Nearly 500 livelihoods have been wiped out while yet another corporate deal is stitched together behind closed doors. The way in which senior management have conducted themselves throughout this sales process has been nothing short of a national disgrace,” it said, noting “both the press and Tilray announced the deal before workers were told.”
Bryan Simpson, Unite’s national lead for hospitality, described the conduct of senior management as “nothing short of a national disgrace”.
He said: “For the CEO to tell workers that they were redundant with immediate effect, on a conference call with only 25 minutes’ notice, has echoes of P&O and is deplorable.”
In 2024, BrewDog faced backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the Real Living Wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.
The following year, the brand was axed from 2,000 pubs as customers opted for rival brews. It also shut 10 of its own bars, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen, citing tough trading conditions.
In October 2025, BrewDog announced job cuts across the business after posting a pre-tax loss of £37m (US$49.2m) in 2024 – the fifth year in a row it had failed to make a profit.
Unite added: “A company does not lose 97% of its value in the space of nine years without catastrophic mismanagement. Directors past and present pursued reckless expansion and failed strategies, and now workers are paying the price for boardroom failure.”
BrewDog founder James Watt stepped down as CEO in 2024, after several controversies, including alleged inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power. Watt denies all accusations.
Former chief operating officer James Arrow became CEO of BrewDog in May 2024. He left with immediate effect after less than a year in the role, citing personal reasons.
BrewDog’s chief financial officer, James Taylor, took over the CEO position in March last year.
BrewDog co-founder and BrewDog Distilling CEO Martin Dickie resigned in August 2025. That was followed by the departure of Steven Kersley, managing director of BrewDog Distilling, who helped establish the spirits arm a decade ago, in October.
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