All the BrewDog bars that are closing as Scottish firm acquired - including 9 in Scotland
BrewDog has been bought by a New-York based firm, who are taking on 11 bars in the UK and closing the rest.
On Monday 2 March, Tilray Brands Inc., a global lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company in the beverage, cannabis and wellness industries completed the acquisition of Scottish brewers, BrewDog.
Last month it was announced that the business could be broken up after consultants AlixPartners were called in to help look for new investors. This news came off the back of the business closing its Ellon distillery as it exited the spirits market.
The sale will result in bars closing, staff redundancies and no return of investment for the Equities for Punks scheme.
Earlier today, Clare Kennedy, Ian Partridge and Ben Browne of AlixPartners were appointed Joint Administrators to BrewDog PLC, BrewDog International Ltd., BrewDog Retail Ltd. and Draft House Holding Ltd. (collectively, BrewDog).
Shortly after their appointment, the Joint Administrators agreed a transaction with Tilray Brands UK Ltd. This transaction comes following a company-led strategic review and subsequent sales process conducted by AlixPartners, as announced on February 14, 2026.
It sees Tilray acquire BrewDog’s UK-based brewing and distribution facilities (specifically, the brewery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, and The Hop Hub, a national distribution centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire), and its extensive brand portfolio, as well as eleven existing BrewDog retail units in the UK and Ireland.
In total, the transaction preserves 733 jobs in the UK, where BrewDog employees will follow a TUPE process to become employees of Tilray Brands UK Ltd.
No offer was made at any stage of the sales process, from any prospective bidder, which would have preserved BrewDog in its entirety. Regrettably, a total of 38 bars in the UK will close with immediate effect, leading to 484 redundancies.
The Joint Administrators have engaged specialist outside support to ensure that all those affected can access the help and information they need at this difficult time. Part of this support will be to assist redundant employees in the application of claims for any outstanding monies arising from today’s unit closures. Additionally, the Administration team has been in contact with, and continues to invite engagement from, other leisure operators in the UK to identify employment opportunities elsewhere in the sector.
There will be no return to any equity holders, including that granted under the Equity for Punks scheme, from this transaction.
BrewDog’s 18 franchise bars in the UK and internationally continue to operate.
UK & Ireland BrewDog bars acquired by Tilray
Scotland (3):
- Ellon - DogTap
- Edinburgh - DogHouse Edinburgh, Edinburgh Lothian Road
England (7):
- Birmingham
- London - Canary Wharf, Paddington, Seven Dials, Tower Hill, Waterloo
- Manchester - Peter Street
Ireland (1):
- Dublin
UK retail outlets to close with immediate effect
Scotland (9):
- Aberdeen – Castlegate, Union Square
- Edinburgh – Cowgate
- Glasgow – Merchant City, Argyle Street
- Inverurie
- Perth
- St Andrews
- Stirling
England (29):
- Basingstoke
- Bath
- Bournemouth
- Bristol – Baldwin Street, Harbourside
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Carlisle
- Cheltenham
- Exeter
- London – Soho, Camden Road, Chancery Lane, Clerkenwell, Ealing, Hammersmith, Seething Lane, Tower Bridge, Wandsworth
- Liverpool
- Manchester – DogHouse Manchester, Manchester Outpost
- Milton Keynes
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Plymouth
- Reading
- Southampton
Commenting on today’s announcement, Clare Kennedy, a partner and managing director at AlixPartners said: “As one would expect over the past two weeks, we have received significant interest in the BrewDog business from prospective buyers across both the trade and investment communities. In Tilray, we have secured a purchaser with a passion for craft brewing who will be an excellent custodian and sponsor of the business in the months and years ahead.
“Having done so, our priority now is to support, to the fullest extent possible, those people whose roles have been made redundant, and we would ask operators within the UK leisure sector who are in a position to assist to contact us at any time.”
The news comes just months after managing director of distilling, Steven Kersely, left the business, which followed on from the departure of BrewDog co-founder and BrewDog distilling CEO Martin Dickie in August 2025.
His decision to leave the business came just a month after it was announced that BrewDog would be closing ten bars, including their flagship venue in Aberdeen - the site of their first bar.
BrewDog announced job cuts across the business last October after it posted a £37 million loss. In 2024 BrewDog faced backlash after it announced it’d no longer be paying employees the living wage. The firm has also faced controversy around former co-founder James Watt, who was rumoured to be planning to buy back control of the business.
Mr Watt stepped down as CEO in 2024 after several reports and a BBC investigation into inappropriate behavior.
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