Brewdog: brewdog closes all bars for a day as it looks to complete sale
brewdog has closed all of its bars for a single day as the company moves to complete the sale of its business, a decision tied to licensing issues and a company-wide schedule of staff meetings. the closures will allow employees to attend All Hands calls and prepare for an anticipated change of ownership.
Brewdog closes bars for day
Scottish craft beer giant Brewdog said its bars, including a flagship site on Castle Street in Aberdeen city centre, would be closed for the day to comply with licensing issues. Chief executive James Taylor confirmed to staff in an internal email that a series of staff meetings would take place on Monday, with bars closed to comply with licensing issues.
Internal email and All Hands calls
The internal email set out plans for company-wide calls and explained the decision to suspend trading for the day. It said: "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. "
The message continued: "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. "
Consultants and sale timetable
The company announced two weeks ago that consultants AlixPartners had been brought in after the firm failed to make a profit in recent years. Brewdog expected to announce sale early next week, and a US cannabis giant is the frontrunner to buy BrewDog. Other linked headlines included: "I invested £12, 000 in Brewdog - I think I've lost it all", "Scottish craft beer brand Brewdog put up for sale", and "Brewdog staff 'upset and concerned' by sale plans".
Production halt at Ellon distillery
Last month, the company halted production of gin and vodka brands at its distillery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, in order to "sharpen" the business's focus. The Ellon site remains a named location within the company's operations.
Losses, closures and workforce
Brewdog announced job cuts across the business in October last year after posting a £37m loss. Earlier in 2025 it announced the closure of 10 bars across the UK, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen. The company currently employs around 1, 400 people and, as well as the Ellon site, has breweries in the US, Australia and Germany.
brewdog was founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007. The company has breweries and pubs around the globe, including about 60 in the UK. The decision to close all bars for the day is part of the immediate process to complete a sale and to brief staff directly about the next steps.
Closing paragraph: All operational sites were instructed to cancel food and beer deliveries and customer bookings for the day to allow full staff participation in the scheduled calls and to meet licensing requirements tied to the anticipated change of ownership.
