BrewDog co-founder James Watt has said he is “heartbroken for all of the hard-working and passionate team members who have lost their jobs” after 484 staff were made redundant as part of a rescue deal.
US cannabis and beer company Tilray acquired the BrewDog brand, intellectual property, UK brewing operations and 11 pub venues in a deal reportedly worth 33 million pounds. A total of 38 bars will close, including nine Scottish locations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverurie, Perth, St Andrews and Stirling.
Only Three Scottish Bars Survive
Just three BrewDog venues in Scotland will remain open: Dogtap in Ellon, Doghouse in Edinburgh and the Lothian Road bar in Edinburgh. The closures represent the most significant restructuring in the company’s 19 year history.
Watt acknowledged personal responsibility in a LinkedIn post, writing: “There are also so many other things I would have done differently” and “At times we expanded too fast and diversified too broadly.” The company lost 37 million pounds in 2024 before the sale.
Founded in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, in 2007, BrewDog became one of Scotland’s most prominent business success stories through its craft beer brand and pioneering equity crowdfunding campaigns. The sale to Tilray marks a dramatic reversal for a company that was once valued at over 2 billion pounds.