BrewDog closes all bars for today amid 'unsettling time'
It comes after the craft beer chain posted a £37 million loss last year
Craft beer titan Brewdog has shut down bar operations for the day as it looks to complete the company sale amid an ‘unsettling time’.
On Monday (2 March), the struggling company announced all of its brick and mortar sites would temporarily shut up shop, citing licensing requirements.
Staff currently employed by the 60-odd bars, restaurants, and hotels are also required to attend company-wide meetings, as per an internal email sent by Brewdog’s Chief Executive Officer, James Taylor.
Workers are currently not aware of when these meetings will take place, as per MSP Maggie Chapman.
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Speaking to local press, the Scottish politician called ‘the lack of transparency, planning and basic communication is causing unnecessary distress to hard-working people who deserve clarity, fairness and respect’.
Sites in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and other parts of the UK are impacted by the closure.
It’s not currently known if or when the establishments, which employ up to 1,400 people, will reopen.
The call comes two weeks after New-York-based consultants AlixPartners were brought in to oversee a possible transaction of the business, founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007.
Taylor, who stepped up from Chief Financial Officer to CEO last March, called the looming sale an ‘unsettling time for everyone’.
“We want to ensure that all colleagues have the opportunity to hear directly from us about what happens next.”
He added in the correspondence that food and beer deliveries, as well as customer bookings, had been cancelled for the day.
Last month, BreDog confirmed it had halted production of gin and vodka brands at its distillery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, to ‘sharpen’ the business's focus, as per the BBC.
In October, the business announced job cuts and permanent site closures after posting a loss of £37 million.
A Manchester-based employee affected by the sudden pub closures exclusively told FOODbible: “As someone who has worked for the business for almost five years, it’s very unsettling to think that I might not have a job tomorrow.
“I wish there had been more communication on who might be buying us,” they added. “But at the end of the day, they have to do what they have to do.”
It’s understood that Watts, who shifted from CEO to ‘co-founder and captain’ of Brewdog in recent years, attempted to rescue the debt-ridden company.
The Telegraph reported that he attempted to take back control of the brewery, financed by £10 million of his own money as well as external backing.
However, it’s said that Watt was ‘ejected’ from the process, with C&C Group, the owner of Bulmers and Magners, Royal Unibrew, and now Tilray, reportedly interested in a takeover.
FOODbible has contacted Brewdog for comment.
Topics: Drinks, UK Food, Restaurants and bars
Ella Scott