BrewDog to shut 38 bars with loss of 500 jobs despite being rescued by US cannabis firm -

By EMILY HAWKINS

Updated: 22:01 GMT, 2 March 2026

BrewDog is shutting 38 bars with the loss of nearly 500 jobs – despite being rescued by an American brewer and cannabis firm.

The Scottish company has been snapped up by Tilray Brands in a £33million deal that includes its UK brewing operations and 11 pubs in Britain and Ireland.

But 38 bars will close with the loss of 484 jobs in the latest blow to British hospitality.

The deal came after BrewDog crashed into administration and leaves the brand’s investors empty-handed.

More than 200,000 people who ploughed money into the firm’s ‘equity for punks’ scheme will receive no return.

But Tilray – which produces medical cannabis products including craft beer and hemp foods – will preserve 733 jobs in the UK.

Time at the bar: BrewDog has been snapped up by Tilray Brands in a £33m deal that includes its UK brewing operations and 11 pubs in Britain and Ireland

It will take control of BrewDog facilities including its brewery in Aberdeenshire, which produces beers including Punk IPA and Elvis Juice.

Tilray has also bought The Hop Hub – a distribution centre in Motherwell.

The brewer closed its pubs yesterday as administrators at AlixPartners sought to confirm a takeover.

Irwin D. Simon, chairman and chief executive of Tilray Brands, said the firm’s priority was to ‘refocus’ the business on ‘the craft beer excellence that made it beloved in the first place and strategically invest to return the operations to profitable growth’.

BrewDog was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, but it has faced mounting losses in recent years and has closed a string of bars and axed chunks of its workforce.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘This is a devastating day for BrewDog workers, [who] built this brand.

‘They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns.’

Beazley sale agreed

Labour’s workers’ rights bill could push up prices and cost jobs, retail chiefs have warned.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the rules ‘could add further complexity’ if they are brought in ‘without an eye firmly on the potential consequences for the cost of doing business and hence the cost of living’.

The BRC also sounded the alarm over young people being priced out of work after figures last month showed unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds at an 11-year high of 16.1 per cent.

The BRC warned the cost of employing 18 to 20-year-olds rose by more than 20 per cent last year.

DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS

Easy investing and ready-made portfolios

AJ Bell

Easy investing and ready-made portfolios

Hargreaves Lansdown

Free fund dealing and investment ideas

interactive investor

Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month

Freetrade

Investing Isa now free on basic plan

Trading 212

Free share dealing and no account fee

Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.

Compare the best investing account for you

Beazley sale agreed