'Brewdog made me and hundreds of staff redundant on 15-minute Teams call'

A former Brewdog staff member has said they were made redundant alongside hundreds of colleagues on a 15-minute Teams call on Monday.

A deal struck to sell the business will see 484 jobs lost and 38 bars shut.

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.

Full list of Scottish Brewdog bars to close

Aberdeen – Castlegate
Aberdeen – Union Square
Edinburgh – Cowgate
Glasgow – Merchant City
Glasgow – Argyle Street
Inverurie
Perth
St Andrews
Stirling

They were not included in a £33m rescue deal by US firm Tilray, administrators for the Scottish brewer have said.

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.

North East & Tayside

Almost 500 jobs lost as Brewdog bought by US cannabis and beer firm for £33m

Tilray has snapped up the global brand, intellectual property, the brewing operation and 11 pubs

“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.”

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.

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.

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.”