Brewdog staff 'upset and concerned' by sale plans

Brewdog employees are "really concerned" for their futures having learned the craft beer giant could be sold off, a union has said.

Financial experts AlixPartners have been brought in to attract new investors in a move which would potentially see the Aberdeenshire-based firm broken up.

The Unite union said "upset" staff had only received a single email from senior management - with some only finding out about the potential sale after it was reported in the press.

Brewdog has been contacted for comment.

In a separate email to staff, seen by BBC Scotland News, Brewdog said the decision was a "normal and prudent step".

The company said it "did not change day-to-day operations, our roles or our immediate plans".

In a media statement, the company said it had taken the decision to bring in AlixPartners after "operating in a challenging economic climate".

Brewdog said it wanted to focus on the "long-term strength and sustainably" of the company.

Bryan Simpson, hospitality lead for Unite, said the union had been "inundated" with messages from staff worried about their livelihoods since the news emerged.

He said some workers had already had their hours cut from 32 to 24 per week, meaning they were about £400 worse off.

The company currently employs around 1,400 people and has breweries in Ellon as well as in the US, Australia and Germany.

Simpson said many of those contacting the union for advice were employed at the Ellon site.

He said: "Let's be clear, this isn't just the potential collapse of a brand, this is people's jobs, this is people's rent, how they pay their bills and their childcare and yet they are being informed about the sale of their employer through the press. That is morally unacceptable.

"We need clarity on jobs. If there are going to be redundancies, they need to be informed as soon as possible, legally and morally, because they cannot have job losses with consultation and without ensuring they get the maximum they are due."

Brewdog was founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007 and now has bars and breweries around the world, including about 60 in the UK.

The company sold a 22.3% stake to San Francisco-based private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners in 2017.

Watt then stood down as CEO in 2024 and moved to a new position as "co-founder and captain".

Dickie left the company last year for personal reasons.

In January, the company said it would stop making its Lonewolf Gin and Abstrakt Vodka brands at its distillery in Ellon.

That came a few months after job cuts were announced across the business after it posted a £37m loss.

In recent years it has made headlines for its marketing campaigns and workplace culture.

Brewdog faced backlash in 2024 after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.