Brewdog founder James Watt says he is “heartbroken” for the hundreds of staff losing their jobs after a deal was struck to sell the business.
484 jobs are to be lost at the Ellon-based brewery, and 38 bars will shut after a £33m rescue deal was agreed with US firm Tilray.
A former Brewdog staff member said workers were made redundant alongside hundreds of colleagues on a 15-minute Teams call on Monday.
The news came after the Aberdeenshire-based company abandoned its state-of-the-art distillery last month, which opened in 2016, and axed its spirit brands.
In 2024, BrewDog posted losses of £37m in 2024 and announced job cuts across the business, including at its head office and brewery in Ellon.
The self-styled “punk” beer brand was founded by James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007.
James Watt: ‘I am heartbroken for hundreds of staff losing jobs’
In a post on LinkedIn, Watt said: “This week has been incredibly hard. It is really difficult to find the right words and know what to say. On Monday, the business I co-founded in 2007 was sold.
“I am heartbroken for all of the hard-working and passionate team members who have lost their jobs. I am heartbroken for all of our brilliant equity punks who did not get the return on their investment they wanted.
“And heartbroken to have dedicated the best 20 years of my life to something that ultimately did not have the ending we all wished for.
“I put my heart, my soul and every ounce of energy into building BrewDog as CEO from inception until early 2024 as we grew from a garage to the world’s leading independent beer brand. We employed thousands and challenged an entire industry.
“I was 24, working part-time on a fishing boat, and still living in my dad’s spare room when we started BrewDog. I had never run a business before, I had no idea what I was really doing and I just made it all up as I went along.
“As the business grew exponentially, our very public success definitely changed things: it changed how people saw us, it changed how people interacted with us, it changed how the media portrayed us, and perhaps, on some levels it changed us too.
“When an underdog strategy works so well that people perceive you as the incumbent, that strategy breaks down, and I should have recognised that earlier. With the benefit of hindsight, there are also so many other things I would have done differently.
“At times we expanded too fast and diversified too broadly. During certain periods I did not control spend well enough across the business and furthermore I feel that I did not respond to certain crises that we faced (and we faced many) in a way that was authentic and true to who I am. Those decisions sit with me.
“During my 17 years in charge, there were highs, lows, successes, failures, huge gambles and many mistakes along the way. Ultimately, the mistakes hurt far more than the successes console. I would have loved to save every single job and every single equity punk investment. Ultimately, I couldn’t. That will stay with me.
“There is much more to say about the final chapter. In time, I will tell that story. Today is not that day. To our team members leaving this week: thank you. You helped build something that mattered.
“I am sorry we could not protect you. To our equity punks: thank you for having the conviction to believe in the business when this was just two humans, one dog and a crazy idea. It was an honour and a privilege to dedicate my life to trying to build something truly amazing for all of our fantastic team members and everyone involved.
“I am sorry that I was not able to repay the faith you bestowed in me with the outcome you all deserved. I still love the business. It will always feel like an intrinsic part of me.
“I will always be cheering it on from the sidelines, even if the next chapter is now going to be written by others.”
Brewdog made hundreds of staff redundant on 15-minute Teams call
Staff heard the news on the call, hosted by chief executive James Taylor and Ian Partidge of restructuring specialists AlixPartners.
“There is no viable interest in these bars”, staff told in the Teams meeting, heard by STV News.
“These will close immediately.
Full list of Scottish Brewdog bars to close
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Aberdeen – Castlegate - Aberdeen – Union Square
- Edinburgh – Cowgate
- Glasgow – Merchant City
- Glasgow – Argyle Street
- Inverurie
- Perth
- St Andrews
- Stirling
“Your role is no longer required. Your position has formally been made redundant. Clearly, we recognise how difficult this news is to hear, and we are truly sorry for that, the impact that this will have.
“We recommend you contact your local job centre as soon as you receive your redundancy letter to ensure your statutory entitlements are not affected.
“We are not opening this call for questions today.”
A staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “All but 11 bars were made redundant.
“We were made to wait until 3.45pm, then given a 15-minute call, telling us we had no job anymore.
“The staff were in bits, upset, worried, panicked about paying rent. Hundreds of staff on a Teams call, no microphones or chance to reply.”
What happens now?
Only three bars, which serve the brewery’s beers such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, will remain open in Scotland.
They are the Dogtap, in Ellon, Doghouse, in Edinburgh, and the location on Edinburgh’s Lothian Road.
They were not included in a £33m rescue deal by US firm Tilray, administrators for the Scottish brewer have said.
Tilray, which owns a raft of craft breweries in the US, has bought a number of BrewDog assets including the global brand and related intellectual property, UK brewing operation and 11 of its pub venues across the UK and Ireland.
The craft beer giant appointed New York-based restructuring specialists AlixPartners to oversee the sale process two weeks ago.
MP Harriet Cross, who represents the constituency where BrewDog is based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, said: “The loss of 484 jobs and the closure of 38 bars is disastrous, both for the North East and the rest of the UK.
“My immediate thoughts go to the hardworking staff who have been impacted by this through no fault of their own.
“Tilray has told me, in its words, that brewing operations in Ellon remain central to the business and the company has no plans to relocate production from Scotland.
“These cutbacks will be deeply concerning for everyone who has an association with BrewDog.
“This announcement underlines the growing issues facing the drinks industry and hospitality sector, with challenging market conditions causing financial difficulties like this.
“I will immediately be writing to BrewDog’s new owners asking where these affected roles are, the future plans for the business, and what support is being given to staff at this unsettling time.”
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