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Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
BrewDog axed from nearly 2,000 pubs
It's bottoms up for British brewery BrewDog after their beers were axed from a number of pubs across the United Kingdom. Ten of the Scottish brewery's bars closed their doors last month due to 'ongoing industry challenges', including rising costs. As many as 1,860 pubs have now removed the alcoholic drinks brand from their taps. It's bottoms up for British brewery BrewDog after their beers were axed for a number of pubs across the United Kingdom. Pic: PA Images The brand was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, but there are now fears the company could be going bust. Punk IPA is their most popular and well-known beer but The Telegraph has reported that the drinks chain was 'losing taps like you wouldn't believe it.' It is reported that rival brands Camden Town and Beavertown are being stocked in place of BrewDog. Pic: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire It is reported that rival brands Camden Town and Beavertown are being stocked in place of BrewDog. JD Weatherspoon's is one of the few pubs still serving the drink, with an insider telling the Telegraph that if that changes, it would be drastic for Brewdog. In 2023, the brewery suffered a chilling £59m (€68m) loss – leading to recent closures of some of their venues, with York, Shepherd's Bush, Camden and Brighton all set to close also. BrewDog COO Lauren Carrol said the rising costs was leading to consumers watching their spending and pubs narrowing their ranges. Pic: PA Images BrewDog COO Lauren Carrol said that rising costs were leading to consumers watching their spending and pubs narrowing their ranges. She added that brewery-owned pubs were putting 'more emphasis' on their own brands. 'It's not just us,' she said, 'Every independent brewer has been affected.' In Ireland, there is just one BrewDog location. BrewDog Outpost Dublin was opened in 2019 and is on the ground floor of the Capital Dock Building in Grand Canal Dock. Among the perks of the Dublin venue is that it is dog-friendly with dog treats and dog beer both sold for punters' canine friends.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
BrewDog has its beers axed by nearly 2,000 pubs as bars turn away from embattled brewer - as CEO warns it will make loss for third year in a row
BrewDog's beers have been axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain as the embattled brewers' popularity continues to wane. The company's range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from around 1,860 pubs in the last two years, according to private industry data. The blow means BrewDog's UK distribution has been cut by more than a third. It also shows that its best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the worst loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs – a 52 per cent decline in distribution. Pubs are now reducing their offerings or opting for rival beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown instead. The data, which was seen by the Telegraph, revealed most of the pubs scrapping BrewDog beers are part of large chains, removing a key source of revenue for the brewer at the same time as it struggles to revive its fortunes. The collapse in BrewDog's UK distribution comes as CEO James Taylor recently told investors that its financials did not make for 'happy reading'. BrewDog has recorded losses of £59m in 2023 and £30.5m in 2022. Mr Taylor admitted in a recent interview that the company would be making another loss this year. Mr Taylor is the second new CEO to take over since founder James Watt stepped back amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct. An industry insider believes the pub retrenchment will make BrewDog ever more reliant on JD Wetherspoon, whose 794 pubs now make up a significant chunk of its remaining distribution. Lauren Caroll, BrewDog's chief operating officer, said: 'Independent brewers across the board have felt the squeeze from the economic pressures hitting the pub trade. 'With costs rising and consumers watching their spend, pub groups have been narrowing their ranges, and brewery-owned pubs are putting more emphasis on their own brands. 'It's not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we've shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].' Last month, the company announced the closure of 10 of its own branded bars across the UK, including its flagship site in Aberdeen, after deciding they were not 'commercially viable'. And the chain had started the year by closing six pubs across the world, including two in England, three in Europe and one in England. BrewDog has weathered a number of publicity storms in recent years as its reputation has taken a hammering. But it has also faced stiff competition from new entrants into the 'craft beer' market. It was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, rising to prominence in the 2010s amid a surge in demand for independent beers and hoppy IPAs. Watt showed a knack for marketing and drove up the brand's popularity with stunts such as driving a tank through London and brewing what it claimed was the world's strongest beer. However in recent years, the company's fortunes have started to turn after it emerged staff reported being unhappy working there. BrewDog is on its third CEO in just over a year after Watt stepped back from the role in May 2024, three months after Ofcom rejected a complaint he had lodged against the BBC after it made a documentary outlining misconduct allegations. He denied claims that he made female bartenders feel 'uncomfortable' and 'powerless' and that he would take intoxicated women on private late-night tours of the brewery. He then married Made In Chelsea media personality Georgia Toffolo earlier this year, and has become a frequent critic of the Labour government on LinkedIn. The self-described BrewDog 'Captain' faced a number of improper conduct allegations in 2021 concerning female staff, and was revealed to have invested in Heineken, contrasting with his brewery's anti-establishment 'punk' image. Months before he quit, he announced that the firm would pay staff the 'real' Living Wage as calculated by the Resolution Foundation as it struggled to turn a profit. The firm is continuing to weather accusations of an image problem after ditching its claim to be 'carbon negative' after it ditched offsetting schemes that it claimed were both too expensive and not efficient enough to justify the label. It had already been criticised for using the label by advertising watchdogs, and was slammed by environmentalists for its claim of creating a carbon-negative forest in Scotland after it was revealed that half of the 500,000 saplings had already died. Despite this, CEO James Taylor told the Grocer in June that he did not believe the firm had an image problem. He said: 'It's boring to focus on data, but the data says consumers think of us as a business that produces really high-quality beer. That's how we're perceived by the vast majority of the public.' Further criticism has been heaped on BrewDog's decision to sell a stake in the company to the American private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners in 2017, which minted Watt and Dickie as millionaires. BrewDog's latest blow comes as a political storm continues to rumble over the Government's lack of support for the pub trade. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been blamed for pushing restaurants and pubs into 'survival mode' as two venues have shut per day for the first half of 2025. Data shows the number of hospitality sites plunged by 374 to 98,746 sites at the end of June, sparking fresh concerns about the fight for survival faced by many businesses. It means that the sector is now 14.2 per cent smaller than at the start of Covid in March 2020, with more than 16,000 net closures over the past five years. Researchers pointed to a cocktail of costs, including higher National Insurance contributions for employers, business rates and wages. The worrying figures come just weeks after TV star and landlord Jeremy Clarkson, told The Mail on Sunday that penalising business rates had left publicans 'like Butch and Sundance at the end of the movie – taking fire from absolutely everywhere'.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BrewDog beers axed by almost 2,000 pubs
BrewDog's beers have been axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain in a major blow to the embattled brewer. The company's range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from approximately 1,860 pubs in the last two years – cutting its UK distribution by more than a third, according to confidential pub industry data. These figures also show that BrewDog's best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the worst loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs over the same period – a 52.3pc decline in distribution. An industry source said BrewDog was 'losing taps in the [pub and bar trade] like you wouldn't believe' as pubs opt for rival beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown instead. Most of the pubs scrapping BrewDog beers are part of chains and owned by large pub companies, removing a key source of revenue for the brewer at the same time as it struggles to revive its fortunes. The collapse in BrewDog's UK distribution comes following a turbulent period that saw the one-time darling of the craft beer scene post massive losses and face allegations of a 'toxic' workplace culture. Last month, the company was forced to close 10 of its own branded bars across the UK including its flagship site in Aberdeen after deciding they were not 'commercially viable'. It highlights the pressure on James Taylor, BrewDog's chief executive, to reverse the company's declining fortunes. BrewDog has recorded losses of £59m in 2023 and £30.5m in 2022. Mr Taylor admitted in a recent interview with The Telegraph that the company would again be in the red this year. According to the industry insider, the pub retrenchment is likely to make BrewDog ever more reliant on JD Wetherspoon, whose 794 pubs now make up a significant chunk of its remaining distribution, 'If they ever lost the JD Wetherspoon deal, then that's Punk IPA done as a [pub trade] product,' they said. Lauren Caroll, BrewDog's chief operating officer, said: 'Independent brewers across the board have felt the squeeze from the economic pressures hitting the pub trade. With costs rising and consumers watching their spend, pub groups have been narrowing their ranges, and brewery-owned pubs are putting more emphasis on their own brands. 'It's not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we've shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].' Founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, BrewDog rose to prominence in the 2010s amid a boom in demand for independent beers and hoppy IPAs. Led by Mr Watt as chief executive, the company became known for marketing stunts such as driving a tank through London and brewing what it claimed was the world's strongest beer to be served from a taxidermy squirrel. However, in recent years it has been dogged by controversies including high-profile allegations of a 'culture of fear' that emerged in an open letter from former employees and people working there at the time. Mr Watt was also accused of acting inappropriately with female staff following a BBC investigation, which he stringently denied. He stepped down as chief executive in 2024, handing over control to James Arrow, then its chief operating officer. Mr Arrow left BrewDog after less than a year in post and was replaced by Mr Taylor, a former fashion industry executive, who has overseen a major rebrand of the company's beers and hopes to restore faith in the company. Further criticism has been heaped on the decision to sell a stake to the American private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners in 2017, which minted Mr Watt and Mr Dickie as millionaires. The unorthodox deal forced BrewDog to deliver an 18pc compounding return to TSG, which rapidly increases the interest on TSG's shares on an annual basis This is believed to threaten the shareholdings of thousands of 'Equity Punk' retail investors who plied their savings into the brewer as it grew. Asked about this last month, Mr Taylor said: 'I will try and create shareholder value for everybody and what happens in the future in terms of the value of that? Well, quite frankly, it's an academic conversation for the moment.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
BrewDog beers axed by almost 2,000 pubs across the UK
It comes weeks after the company announced the closure of 10 of its bars BITTER TASTE BrewDog beers axed by almost 2,000 pubs across the UK Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BREWDOG beers have been axed by almost 2,000 pubs across the UK. The boozers scrapping the beer giant's products are mostly chains owned by big firms, reports The Telegraph. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Punk IPA was withdrawn from 1,980 watering holes in the last two years Credit: Alamy It comes weeks after the company announced the closure of 10 of its bars amid "ongoing industry challenges" such as rising costs. Pub industry data revealed BrewDog's signature beer, Punk IPA, was withdrawn from 1,980 watering holes in the last two years. It's understood bars are now instead choosing to provide beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown. The brand is now said to be reliant on popular pub chain JD Wetherspoon. An industry insider revealed: "If they ever lost the JD Wetherspoon deal, then that's Punk IPA done as a [pub trade] product." BrewDog lost a staggering £59million in 2023 and £30.5million in 2022. Last month, staff were told several flagship stores across the country would be closing for good. Eight of the pubs set to close their doors are in England. While two of them are north of the border, including the flagship pub in Aberdeen's Gallowgate. It isn't known how many staff will be losing their jobs as part of the pub cuts, but bosses say they are hoping to save jobs by moving workers to different pubs. BrewDog to close TEN pubs across UK as staff set to be axed A message from BrewDog's CEO James Taylor was sent to all staff where he said the firm was continuing to face challenges. In it he said: 'As part of this strategic review, we have made the difficult decision to close 10 bars. 'This includes some venues that are woven into our history, including Aberdeen, which was our first ever bar, and Camden, the first bar we opened in London. Despite our best efforts, and the hard work of the teams in each of these bars, it has simply not been possible to find a formula to make these bars viable due to their size, location and other limiting factors. Following much consideration, we have sadly concluded that there is no realistic prospect of making these venues commercially viable. Keeping them open would put pressure on the wider business, making it harder to invest where we know we can grow. 'This decision is not simply a response to the challenging UK hospitality market, but a proactive decision to redefine the bar division's focus. 'This is not a decision we've taken lightly. But as we evolve BrewDog into a more focused and sustainable business, we've had to be honest about where we are - and where we're heading.' BrewDog, based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, was co-founded by tycoons James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007. And it is popular with punters for its innovative and often provocative approach to craft beer. Watt stepped down from his CEO role in the major pub chain back in May 2024 after 17 years. He handed it over to chief operating officer James Arrow as the "business pushes forward into the next phase of growth". But Arrow also stepped down from the role in March earlier this year due to "personal reasons".
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
BrewDog beers axed by almost 2,000 pubs
BrewDog's beers have been axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain in a major blow to the embattled brewer. The company's range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from approximately 1,860 pubs in the last two years – cutting its UK distribution by more than a third, according to confidential pub industry data. These figures also show that BrewDog's best-known beer, Punk IPA, has suffered the worst loss after being removed from 1,980 pubs over the same period – a 52.3pc decline in distribution as pubs shrink down their offering and drinkers turn away from the brand. An industry source said BrewDog was 'losing taps in the [pub and bar trade] like you wouldn't believe' as pubs opt for rival beers such as Camden Town and Beavertown instead. Most of the pubs scrapping BrewDog beers are part of chains and owned by large pub companies, removing a key source of revenue for the brewer at the same time as it struggles to revive its fortunes. The collapse in BrewDog's UK distribution comes following a turbulent period that saw the one-time darling of the craft beer scene post massive losses and face allegations of a 'toxic' workplace culture. Last month, the company was forced to close 10 of its own branded bars across the UK including its flagship site in Aberdeen after deciding they were not 'commercially viable'. It highlights the pressure on James Taylor, BrewDog's chief executive, to reverse the company's declining fortunes.
